Prospect Hospice has been providing end of life care to the people of Swindon and north east Wiltshire for over 40 years. Find out more about where we've come from and who we are here.
Find out about the range of end-of-life care services that we offer to patients and their families. These are designed to provide compassionate, personalised support during every stage of a life-limiting illness in every kind of care setting, to anyone who needs it, free of charge.
We couldn’t do what we do without considerable support from our local community. Find out all the different ways in which you can support Prospect Hospice, including fundraising, volunteering and purchasing from our shops. All contributions are greatly appreciated.
Our aim is to provide excellent, personalised and compassionate care for everyone in our community who is affected by a life-limiting illness. We work in close partnership with other organisations – and specifically with local health and social care professionals – to ensure that anyone can access the best possible care whenever and wherever they need it.
Prospect Hospice provides a broad range of services to thousands of patients, carers and family members every year. Our team of nurses, doctors and therapists support patients at the hospice in Wroughton, in their own homes and care homes. Carers and family members can also access a range of free support services.
Through our outreach work – talking to businesses, schools, GP surgeries and community groups – we raise awareness about life-limiting illness and end-of-life care, and encourage conversations about death and dying. We aim to break down any barriers that might stop people from accessing our services.
Prospect Hospice is a charity, funded primarily by our local community. Each year it costs several million pounds to provide the care that our patients and their families depend on. Less than a third of our funding comes from statutory organisations like the NHS – the rest we raise ourselves. If you’d like to help, please read about the many ways in which you can support us.
Our vision is for excellent, personalised and compassionate care for everyone affected by a life-limiting illness. In 2020 Prospect Hospice cared for and supported more than 2,359 people, through a broad range of services developed to bring care, comfort and confidence at life’s most difficult time.
At Prospect Hospice, our staff have worked hard to define a set of values and behaviours that shape the way we all work, regardless of individual roles.
Click below to see Prospect Hospice’s CQC rating.
CEO
irenewatkins@prospect-hospice.net 01793 813355
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Director of patient services
CarolynBell@prospect-hospice.net 01793 816194
Medical director
Director of people
Director of finance
Finance and Business Development Director Elaine Baxter (FCCA) joined Prospect Hospice in November 2015. A qualified accountant for 20 years, Elaine has had a lengthy career in senior financial management roles in the commercial sector, most recently with Mothercare PLC and previously with WH Smith. Although working for a charity is a new experience for Elaine, supporting our budget planning for 2016-17 and preparing the statutory accounts have given her a strong understanding of our financial focus. “It is a very new kind of challenge for me but one that is very worthwhile. I think it is especially true of a charity that you take responsibility for every pound, because it has been entrusted to you by the local community,” she says. Away from work, Elaine is married to husband Mark and lives in Wanborough having moved back south from Northamptonshire a few years ago. Adventurous in nature, Elaine has enjoyed travelling the world in her youth. Elaine also enjoys walking, dancing, and trips to the theatre.
Director for community development
Warren Finney joined Prospect Hospice from the National Housing Federation in September 2014. Warren’s career for the last 15 years has been in the social housing sector, focused on national policy and influencing local and national government. His current role includes overall responsibility for community and stakeholder engagement, communications and retail. “It is of the utmost importance that not only are we are fully engaged and listening to our local community to ensure we provide the services they want, but that we are also influencing and improving the future direction of end-of-life care at the local, regional and national level to create the right type of care that local people want and need both now and in the future.”
Trustee since 2021 Robin enjoyed a successful career at Nationwide from trainee to reaching executive director status. Robin has a strong experience to draw on. He has vast experience in managing and leading specialised teams, with well developed leadership skills and strategic initiatives.
Trustee since 2018 Sheila is the chief finance officer of Leading Resolutions, an independent IT consultancy providing professional services to FTSE 250 organisations and major charities. Sheila is the chair of our finance and income generation committee and also sits on our patient services committee. She is a chartered management accountant with over 25 years’ experience gained across a variety of organisations, in both executive and non-executive posts. Having started, built and run her own businesses several times over the past two decades, Sheila has a solid understanding of all elements of success and puts people firmly at the heart of every decision. Outside of work, Sheila lives with her husband and has their two adult sons, a horse, a Shetland pony and an adored Westie dog to keep her occupied.
Trustee since 2018 John chairs our nominations committee and sits on our people and resources committee. He was, until he retired in June 2018, the chief executive of Swindon Borough Council, having enjoyed a professional career of nearly 40 years in local government service. In his role as chief executive, John oversaw the council’s entire service delivery and led a workforce of 3,000 people. John developed a reputation in children’s and adult services, latterly becoming the chief executive and pioneering the development to make Swindon one of the most economically efficient boroughs in the country.
Trustee since 2018 Pradeep sits on our patient services and people and resources committees. Pradeep is senior strategy director and head of industry standards at Syniverse (a Carlyle Group company), providing strategic oversight on the adoption of leading-edge technologies. He is a recognised industry expert with 27 years’ experience in the mobile/telecoms industry. He is actively involved within the local community and has a passion for community service. He is also a keen table tennis division-1 player and county umpire. He shares the same vision as Prospect Hospice of putting people first and intends to help Prospect Hospice with its outreach, volunteering and fundraising activities. Pradeep’s commitment to the local community saw him achieve a Pride of Swindon award in 2018.
Trustee since 2015 Eleanor is an account director at local public relations consultancy, Vox, where she represents and advises businesses of all sizes and industries, with a specialism in healthcare, education and the public sector. She sits on our patient services committee, our people and resources committee and our nominations committee. In her spare time enjoys running, spending time with her family and good food.
Trustee since 2013 Caroline has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years with an extensive background in business conduct and risk management. She chairs our audit and risk committee. She has been passionate about volunteering throughout her career and has volunteered for a number of charities over the last 30 years. Caroline has lived in or around Swindon all of her life and currently lives in Old Town with her husband and two young daughters. She loves gardening, cooking and entertaining friends.
Trustee since 2021 Kevin will sit on our finance and income generation committee and our audit and risk committee. Kevin has consultancy experience directing private and public sector organisations in solving their strategic and tactical problems.
Trustee since 2018 Sarah has an extensive background as an HR professional and, with over 22 years’ experience, she has worked in a number of senior leadership roles, predominantly within the retail and energy sectors. Sarah chairs our people and resources committee sits on our nominations committee. The work of Prospect Hospice was well known to Sarah through friends and colleagues who have experienced the care and support when their loved ones required it. She has also previously taken part in some of our fundraising events. Sarah says that she was keen to get involved in becoming a trustee of Prospect Hospice as it’s a local charity providing such excellent and critical support to the community. She wanted to give her time and experience in continuing its excellent work by being involved at the core. Sarah lives locally and has two young children who are very active with their various out of school activities and keep her very busy.
Trustee since 2019 Joe joined as a trustee in 2019 and sits on the finance and income generation and audit and risk committees. He has spent the last 20 years advising businesses and business owners on set-up, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions and stock market listings, as well as corporate governance and general advice. He is a partner at Clark Holt Commercial Solicitors in Swindon’s Old Town, having come to work in Swindon after many years in London. He brings 20 years’ experience of offering pragmatic and commercial advice to his clients to his work at Prospect Hospice. Joe lives near Cirencester, where he spends as much time as he can in his garden.
Trustee since 2019 Jennifer joined the board of trustees in summer 2019 and sits on our finance and income generation committee and our people and resources committee. She is a senior associate solicitor at Royds Withy King, specialising in civil litigation. Jennifer represents people who have developed mesothelioma, an incurable cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos and other asbestos related diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening. She also represents the families of people who have lost loved ones to the these illnesses. Jennifer set up and runs the Swindon and Wiltshire Asbestos Support Group and hosts an annual memorial day each July in Queens Park to mark national Action Mesothelioma Day, which is also aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of exposure to asbestos. Jennifer feels passionate about the importance of good palliative care and many of her clients have benefited from support provided by Prospect Hospice. Originally from Cumbria, Jennifer moved to Swindon from Reading in 2017 and lives in Old Town with her partner and Westie dog called Florence.
Trustee since 2012 Penny chairs sits on our patient services committee and sits on our nominations committee. She has had a long-standing interest in palliative care following working at the Royal Marsden Hospital after qualifying as a junior doctor in the 1980s. Penny has worked for the NHS for 35 years, and she gained management experience as lead clinician in the pathology service at Great Western Hospital. Penny is currently consultant cellular pathologist at North Bristol NHS Trust. She is a member of the South West Regional Quality Assurance Team, visiting laboratories throughout the south west.
Trustee since 2021 Shelley will sit on our patient services committee and our audit and risk committee. Shelley has NHS, charity governance leadership and service delivery and transformation experience.
Trustee since 2013 Lindsay has been qualified as a doctor since 1990 and has been a consultant in Swindon since 2000. More recently, since 2010, Lindsay has been trust lead cancer clinician at the Great Western Hospital. Lindsay chairs our patient services committee and sits on our Audit and Risk Committee. Her interests outside of work include the theatre, cinema and pilates.
President
HRH the Duchess of Cornwall became our president in 2013, having visited Prospect Hospice and met with patients, volunteers and staff in the previous year. Her Royal Highness most recently visited the hospice in January 2020.
Patron
Jonathan Wilkes has been a patron of Prospect Hospice since 2016, but his relationship with the charity dates back many years, having first hosted and performed at our 30th anniversary ball in 2010. ‘Jonny’ has since returned to host our ball every other year since. His inspiration in becoming a patron was the care that we provided for an aunt of his wife Nikki: “My first experience of Prospect Hospice was when their amazing nursing team cared for my wife Nikki’s late aunt,” he says. “I felt there and then that this was a charity I had to do something to say thank you to, and it’s been my pleasure to have been able to do that. It’s an honour for me to have been asked to become a patron and I look forward to working with the fundraising team to encourage people to support their local hospice.”
Organic farmer and entrepreneur Helen Browning OBE accepted our invitation to become a patron following a visit to the hospice where she met and chatted with key staff and was given an overview of the services that Prospect Hospice provides for thousands of patients and family members each year. Ms Browning, who lives locally and is also the chief executive of the Soil Association, says: “I know from its reputation of the very important part it plays in my local community in providing unparalleled end-of-life care services, so it is an honour for me to be given the opportunity to represent Prospect Hospice as a patron.”
Sarah Rose Troughton is HM Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, a role she was appointed to in 2012. She is the first lady to hold the position in Wiltshire since it was created in the 16th century. Sarah first knew about Prospect Hospice when the late David Margesson, who was a key person in leading the development and building of the hospice, discussed with her the vital role the hospice would play in the lives of people in the local community. Sarah says: “I am delighted to be a Patron of Prospect Hospice and have always been most impressed by the care given to the patients and to those people close to them. I am pleased that the hospice caters for the north-east part of the county, including Swindon. Sarah is involved in a number of diverse organisations within Wiltshire, and she holds Prospect Hospice, along with the hospice movement in particular, in great esteem. Sarah lives nearby with her husband Peter, and they have 3 children and 8 grandchildren.