* Location: Stafford
Lead a highly respected community hospice at an exciting time of evolution as its next Chief Executive, guiding strategy, partnerships and long-term sustainability.
Who we are
Katharine House Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people across mid-Staffordshire, supporting individuals and families facing life-limiting illness to live as fully as possible.
Widely respected for the quality, compassion and dignity of its care, the hospice plays a vital role within the local health and care landscape.
Following the upcoming departure of its long-standing CEO, the hospice is seeking an inspiring and strategic Chief Executive to lead the organisation into its next chapter.
For more than three decades, Katharine House Hospice has delivered compassionate, expert care to its community. With a strong reputation, a committed workforce and enduring community support, the organisation is well placed to build on its achievements while navigating the evolving challenges facing the hospice sector.
This appointment comes at a pivotal moment. The next Chief Executive will provide visible, outward-facing leadership, strengthening partnerships across the health and care system while ensuring the hospice remains financially sustainable and able to meet growing demand.
The hospice is currently experiencing a period of positive development and change. The inpatient unit is being refurbished, a new clinical care strategy is being implemented, and the organisation has invested significantly in systems and infrastructure in recent years. These developments position the hospice well to embrace new opportunities and continue evolving to meet the needs of its community.
We are now seeking a values-driven and collaborative leader who can bring strategic clarity, strong people leadership and the ability to build relationships across the NHS, local partners and the wider community.
Importantly, Katharine House Hospice is seeking evolution rather than revolution – someone who will respect and nurture the exceptional culture of the hospice while bringing fresh ideas, creativity and modern thinking where appropriate.
About the role
As Chief Executive, you will provide strategic leadership for Katharine House Hospice, ensuring the organisation continues to deliver outstanding care while remaining financially sustainable and well-positioned within the wider health and care system.
Working closely with the Board of Trustees and executive team, you will lead the organisation through its next phase of development, strengthening partnerships, supporting organisational growth and ensuring the hospice remains responsive to the needs of its community.
This role will have a lasting impact on the future of the hospice, ensuring it continues to deliver compassionate, high-quality care while adapting to a changing health and funding landscape.
Who we are looking for
Katharine House Hospice is seeking a collaborative, values-led leader who can build on the organisation’s strong foundations while guiding it confidently into the future.
With proven senior leadership experience within a charity, health, care or other purpose-driven organisation of comparable scale and complexity, you will bring an ability to inspire teams, build partnerships and lead organisational development in a complex and evolving healthcare environment.
Given the nature of Katharine House Hospice’s work, you will demonstrate a strong track record of balancing commercial awareness and strategic thinking with a clear understanding of the clinical environment in which the hospice operates.
The successful candidate will be an exceptional people leader, with a track record of nurturing positive organisational culture and building cohesive, high-performing multi-disciplinary teams.
Strong partnership and stakeholder engagement skills will also be essential, particularly across health and community systems. You will be a confident and credible external ambassador with a proven ability to influence and negotiate with a wide range of stakeholders.
In addition, you will evidence strong commercial awareness and the ability to support long-term financial sustainability through diversifying income, supporting innovation and embracing opportunities for digital development and transformation.
Above all, you will share the hospice’s commitment to compassionate care, community partnership, and bring a genuine commitment to the organisation’s mission and values.
To view the job description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the job pack. For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
If you would like to know more about this role please contact Lucy Mavers
Thank you for your interest in leading Katharine House Hospice into its next chapter.
For 35 years, Katharine House has stood alongside the people of Stafford and surrounding communities, providing compassionate, expert care when it is needed most. This is something we are immensely proud of. It is only possible because of the dedication of our staff and volunteers, the steadfast support of our community and the strong partnerships we have built across the local health and care system.
Despite the well‑publicised challenges facing the hospice sector, Katharine House has continued to grow its impact. Last year, we supported 1,833 people across our inpatient services, outpatient care, family support and wider community programmes. We remain committed to developing services in line with the changing needs of our patients and families.
We are fortunate to work within a committed network: a skilled and compassionate senior leadership team, a dedicated and resilient workforce, an engaged Board of Trustees and valued partners in our neighbouring hospices and local health economy. Together, we have strengthened essential services, including the 24/7 helpline, now recognised and funded by our local system.
At the same time, we are navigating pressures on funding in our sector, which create challenges that require clarity, adaptability and strong leadership.
That is why your leadership will matter.
So far, we have been able to protect services thanks to exceptional stewardship and the extraordinary generosity of our community. We now need to define our next course, strengthen the way we deliver care and continue evolving to meet the needs of our patients and families — all while ensuring the long‑term financial sustainability that underpins our work. Leading this organisation forward — shaping that direction and bringing our whole team with you — will be both the challenge and the opportunity for our next Chief Executive.
We are looking for a Chief Executive who brings not only strategic vision and operational acumen, but also the empathy, authenticity and collaborative spirit that define Katharine House. Someone who will champion high‑quality, person‑centred care; strengthen and diversify our income; develop partnerships and ensure the hospice continues to thrive long into the future.
Our culture is one of the things I am most proud of. We are a hospice that believes in people. We are a team that supports, trusts and cares for one another. We are ambitious for those we serve and for the organisation that serves them.
If you share our values, our energy and our commitment to providing exceptional care to our community, my fellow Trustees and I would be delighted to meet you.
Peter Catchpole
Chair, Katharine House Hospice
About us
Founded in 1989 as Stafford Hospice at Home, the organisation has grown significantly and now supports nearly 2,000 people each year through a range of services delivered in the hospice, in people’s homes and across the community.
Today, more than 200 staff and over 245 volunteers contribute to the hospice’s work, donating more than 50,000 hours of volunteer time annually. This extraordinary community support sits at the heart of the hospice’s ethos and reflects the deep connection the organisation has with the communities it serves.
Our services include:
* In-patient hospice care
* Hospice at Home and community nursing support
* Outpatient and well‑being services
* Family, carer and bereavement support
It costs almost £4 million each year to run the hospice and deliver its services free of charge. The majority of this funding is raised through fundraising, donations and retail activity, reflecting the hospice’s strong relationship with its local community.
Katharine House Hospice is widely respected for the quality, compassion and dignity of the care it provides, and continues to play a vital role within the local health and care system.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting Application: Katharine House Hospice Stafford — Chief Executive into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
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Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 29th April 2026
First stage interviews: Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th May 2026
Second stage interviews: Wednesday 20th May 2026
Peridot and Katharine House Hospice are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.
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