Virtual Hospice Chairs Group

Virtual Hospice Chairs Group

The nature of a Chair's role offers less opportunity to share experiences with peers from other hospices than for those in executive positions. But the benefits of doing so can be considerable - especially given the legal responsibilities trustees have. This group was set up in the summer of 2024 to enable this to happen. 

We now meet every quarter. Numbers are kept small enough to allow everyone to participate, but large enough to get a range of opinions. 

Below are details about some of our recent sessions. To learn more about the group, contact me.  

October 2024

At our second session, we discussed in detail on an issue we touched on in the first – collaboration.

Participants shared their experiences, stressing the importance of understanding and clarifying the underlying reasons for collaboration, e.g. to enhance core purpose or address competition for resources. They also discussed the difficulties in navigating challenges, particularly when there are differing perspectives and priorities within the various organisations involved.

We agreed that the idea that mergers can reduce costs is flawed, especially in the short-medium run. In fact, costs can increase due to redundancies and the extra resource required to manage the process.

Evidence was cited that in the corporate sector, it has been estimated that around 80% of mergers or takeovers, have failed. The nature of charities means it is difficult to draw hard conclusions. But it was felt that to see positive impact, one normally has to look long-term.

The group also discussed respective approaches to pay and reward, most especially the challenge of matching recent NHS increases to avoid losing care staff.