Nursing expert starts charity trustee role

03 September 2024 | View all news

“I want to help Katharine House Hospice continue to grow and thrive.”

With a top role at an NHS Trust, Helen Reeves is also a specialist advisor for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Parliamentary Health Ombudsman and contributes to the Royal College of Nursing journals (RCNi).

Get to know Helen and her ambitions for her new voluntary trustee role in this Q&A.

What motivated you to pursue a charity trustee role with us?

Katharine House Hospice is a charity close to my heart and family.

I wanted to give back to the community by helping this fantastic charity continue its vital work.

With over a decade working in palliative and end-of-life care, I’m passionate about ensuring everyone receives exceptional care.

I’m thrilled to be appointed as a clinical trustee and can’t wait to work with everyone.

What skills and experience do you bring to your charity trustee role?

I qualified as a nurse in 2005 and have experience in both acute settings and community care.

From 2011, I worked as the head of clinical services at another Midlands hospice.

Since January, I’ve been the Group Deputy Director of Nursing for Primary Care, Community and Therapies at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.

I also help improve healthcare nationwide by sharing my expertise with various organisations.

Additionally, I’m a specialist advisor for the CQC, clinical advisor for the Parliamentary Health Ombudsman, on the editorial board for the Nursing Management Journal and review articles for the RCNi.

What do you hope to achieve in your charity trustee role?

This is my first trustee role, and I hope my varied career and knowledge can support and complement the charity’s strategy and goals.

I understand the challenges hospices face and hope to help Katharine House Hospice continue to grow and thrive.

What are your interests or hobbies outside of work?

I am a mum of two girls, aged five and ten and wife to my husband Shaun.

I enjoy spending time with my family and, more recently, have taken up running – I’m currently up to week seven of Couch to 5K.