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 delivered free of charge and 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.
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 and enables us to deliver care that is free of charge to our patients and their families.
At Prospect Hospice, we 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, and we do so completely free of charge.
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 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. Only a quarter 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 here.
Click below to read the latest CQC report which rated Prospect Hospice as Outstanding.
Excellent, personalised and compassionate care for everyone affected by a life-limiting illness. In 2021 Prospect Hospice cared for and supported 1,928 patients and 504 carers and family members, 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.
Catch up on our latest news and see how we spend your valued donations in our latest newsletter.
CEO
irenewatkins@prospect-hospice.net 01793 813355
Close
Medical director
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 of patient services
CarolynBell@prospect-hospice.net 01793 816194
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.”
Director of people
Chair of trustees
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.
Vice chair of trustees
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
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.
Dr Helen Jones is an experienced consultant anaesthetist who has held senior clinical leadership roles over many years at both Great Western Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust and also at regional level. The work of Prospect Hospice was well known to Helen through her roles as an associate medical director and as deputy medical director, particularly during the early waves of the Covid-19 pandemic. Helen co-chairs the patient services committee and also sits on the combined finance, income generation, audit and risk committee.
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 Gardner Leader 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.
Julie Marshman is a retired nurse with 35 years’ experience in acute and community sectors of the NHS. As chief nurse for Great Western Hospital, she was accountable for clinical governance and was chair of the trust’s patient quality committee. Julie has over twenty years of significant and progressive senior clinical leadership and is passionate about high quality care, especially at end of life. Julie co-chairs the patient services committee and also sits on the people and resources committee.
President
HM The Queen Consort became our president in 2013, having visited Prospect Hospice and met with patients, volunteers and staff in the previous year. Her Majesty most recently visited the hospice in January 2020.
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.
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.”