A HIGHLY experienced senior healthcare manager has taken the role of chief executive at the Woking & Sam Beare Hospices on a fulltime, unpaid, basis.

Marian Imrie, who lives in Camberley and has an accountancy background, takes over at the hospices from Jayne Cooper, who was appointed to the role in May 2017 after seven months as interim CEO and director of nursing.

The News & Mail reported two weeks ago that half of 627 people questioned in a recent survey did not know that the hospice is a charity and more than a third had no idea how it is funded.

Marian said that only a small proportion of the income comes from public funds. The vast majority of funding comes from donations, fundraising events and the hospice shops.

Tim Stokes, the hospices chairman, said that Jayne had decided to step down and thanked her on behalf of all the trustees.

“Her leadership has steered the hospices through a period of great change culminating in the relocation of services to its current facility in Goldsworth Park.

“Jayne has managed this transition with great efficiency ensuring that the exemplary care that we provide for our patients and their families in both the community and within the hospice has been maintained at the highest level. She has been actively engaged with our communities in the important work of promoting the role and the nature of hospice care in addition to shaping the development of its longer-term strategy.”

Tim said that Marian brings a “wealth of general and commercial management experience in the healthcare sector to her new role.”

For the full story get the 30 May edition of the News & Mail