Royal Trinity Hospice (RTH) has been an innovator and a leader in hospice care since 1891. It provides specialist palliative and end of life care to around 2500 patients each year from its state-of-the-art inpatient unit and throughout the community in seven London boroughs.

It is a vital part of the local healthcare system, caring for around half the people who die in this community each year. Its care is rated Outstanding by Care Quality Commission and it is free to use thanks to its retail and fundraising operations (the NHS funds under 30% of the cost).

In the three years before the pandemic, it grew its community patient numbers by around 25%, showing that its work has real impact across a very diverse demographic. Its team responded strongly to the challenges of Covid-19, remaining operational 24/7 for each patient who needed its services - a real tribute to the staff and donors who worked so hard to ensure that.  

Today Trinity has a strong platform combining high quality care, strong stakeholder relationships with its Integrated Care Board partners, successful retail and fundraising operations, caring and expert staff, a great executive team, a supportive and engaged board and a stable financial position.

Trinity has a detailed plan to expand its services to reach 50% more people by 2030, because our community is living longer which means more demand and more complex care needs. 75% of us will need some sort of specialist palliative care at the end of life and the number of people who die with dementia and cancer will double by 2040 – so Trinity’s work will be even more vital than ever.

The hospice's strategic aim over the next couple of years is to expand its reach and impact while maintaining its high service quality and financial resilience, and to continue its position of leadership and innovation in the UK hospice sector

The new Trustees will use their specific skill set and relevant clinical experience to help the Board make strategic decisions and provide strategic oversight regarding the quality of healthcare provided by the organisation. They will be committed to serve the Board which in turn serves its community and influences the hospice, health and social care system.

The incoming Trustees will have a strong alignment with the vision, mission and values of RTH and pro-actively help to work towards its success and growth. In addition to the formal Board meetings, they will be willing to undertake informal engagement with the charity, including providing advice on an ad hoc basis to the management and Patient Services team. The Trustees will be expected to use their specific knowledge and experience to help the Board reach sound decisions; assist the senior leadership team with advice as required; and keep informed about, and support as appropriate, the activities of the organisation.

Trustees will be able to lend their expertise to contribute to the overall growth strategy and current goals. In addition, RTH would like one clinical trustee to take a lead role on strategic oversight of the nationally-mandated Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, and one clinical trustee to take a lead role on strategic oversight of the organisation’s clinical governance.

Trinity delivers exceptional, high quality services from its inpatient unit in Clapham Common and out in the community, wherever the patient calls home. Its Patient Services Committee provides oversight and assurance of its services and contributes expertise to its decisions on healthcare delivery in a complex environment, including the relationship between the NHS and charitable sectors. As part of its strategic aim over the next couple of years to expand its reach and impact, it seeks two new Trustees who will join the Patients Services Committee and support Trinity's work.

The new Trustees will be experienced clinicians with experience at Board-level. Trinity employs a range of clinical professions within its multidisciplinary team and as such will consider all clinical professional groups. They will bring particular expertise in clinical governance and / or patient safety with knowledge of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF). They will be able to demonstrate an in-depth understanding and challenges of the healthcare sector.

The Board welcomes those seeking their first Trustee role, as long as they share its commitment to delivering Trinity's goals. Candidates should demonstrate an appreciation of the role of voluntary / charitable organisations in the health and social care environment, as well as an understanding of the culture of the charity sector.

If you'd like an informal chat with the CEO, Emily Carter or Chair, Suzanne Shale for additional information about the role - please get in touch with [email protected] to arrange this.

Suzanne Shale, Chair
Jonathan Kembery - Deputy Chair
James Piper - Honorary Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee
Andrew Dillon - Chair of the Patient Services Committee
Gerard Manley
Alison Petit
Heather Blake
Angela Dawe - Chair of the People and Culture Committee
Angela Marcelle
Arvind Tewari
David Carmalt
Stefan Laban
Rebecca Pritchard

More details can be found here, and a list of Trinity's other Patrons can be found here.

Trustees attend 4 Board meetings in-person, 2 away days and will be expected to participate in 1-2 events (e.g. with staff, volunteers or donor events) per year. The Clinical/Healthcare Trustee will also attend 4 Patients Services Committee meetings.

The appointment is for a three-year term, which may be renewed twice through re-election by the Membership. Reasonable and domestic travel expenses will be reimbursed.

• Board meeting dates (Tuesdays from 5:30 pm - 8:00pm at Old Chapel) - 19th March, 11th June, 24th September (Board and AGM), 10th December.
• Board Away Days - 26th April and 18th October
• Committee meetings at Old Chapel or Old Library - 27th February, 21st May, 3rd September, 19th November

RTH actively encourages equality and diversity and it looks to recruit across age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, disability and background. The Board would like to ensure that it is representative of the communities it supports. Therefore, applications from under-represented groups like ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBT individuals, women and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.