A NEW chief executive has been appointed at Iain Rennie Grove House Hospice Care (IRGH) following the departure of Mark Lister earlier this year.

Jenny Provin, director of corporate development and planning at the Institute for Cancer Research in London, will take on the lead role at the local hospice charity from January 14.

She said: “I’m delighted to be returning to a community nursing organisation, whose focus is on giving patients the choice to stay at home as long as possible.

“I know the role will be a challenging one, as IRGH patient numbers have been increasing by 10 per cent on average for the last few years – and hit an unprecedented growth of 25 per cent earlier this financial year.

“However, I’m confident that my nursing training and hands-on experience in the community - combined with my strategic experience in a range of healthcare settings and the charity sector – will enable me to work effectively with the strong senior management team at IRGH to achieve the charity’s goals.”

Jenny will report to the team of trustees who govern the charity. Chair of trustees Steve Cuthbert commented:

“We were looking for applicants with a wealth of experience in the charity and or healthcare sectors.

“We were very fortunate to have candidates of an excellent calibre and I’m delighted to welcome Jenny to the team.

“Her strong leadership and comprehensive experience in healthcare, community nursing and income generation will be invaluable to IRGH.

“Her breadth of knowledge across the public and charity sector will complement the specialist skill and local knowledge of colleagues whose hard work has seen income and demand for our care increase in a challenging financial climate.”

He thanked interim chief executive Sue Varvel for her hard work in covering the post in addition to her role of director of nursing and clinical services.

He added: “And I know I can count on the community to support Sue and Jenny during the transition period and into the future as we strive to secure the necessary funding to meet the rising demand for our service.”