Over the summer, our Trustees spent time job shadowing teams across the charity, giving them the chance to hear first-hand from employees about what is impacting them and their work and to get a real understanding of the difference Havens Hospices makes to the lives of those we support.
This week is National Trustees Week, the perfect opportunity to introduce you to them and tell you about their experiences!
Leah Knowles
Leah Knowles is a senior HR professional with over 18 years working in HR across the public and charity sector. She is a specialist in staff wellbeing and the role employers play to ensure people can bring their best selves to work. Having previously been employed at Havens Hospices, Leah wanted to continue to support the charity and play a role in its important work, so she joined the Board of Trustees in 2023.
Because of Leah’s experience in people development, she wanted to learn about something completely new, so she spent the day at the Fair Havens Hub.
“Although I work closely with the charity in my role as Trustee, a lot of what I see and hear comes from the Leadership Team, data or written information. I wanted to engage and interact with patients and our colleagues to understand more about our care from the viewpoint of the people we are supporting.
“This opportunity gave me the chance to get ‘back to the floor’, experience first-hand patient and staff interactions and understand more about how our care supports people throughout their illness.
“On the day, I supported the Wellbeing Team with a creative therapy workshop, which allowed me to participate in something new and spend time with the people we care for. The part I enjoyed most about the experience was having the chance to learn about people’s lives and experiences and how the work of the charity is supporting them and their families. I saw first-hand why the charity exists and what we achieve; it was incredibly positive to see how the short session brought so much joy to our patients, which was very uplifting.”
“Plus, joining the team for the workshop, I learned that I have a creative passion that I never get time to practice!”
“Because of the time I spent with the Wellbeing Team in the Hub, I now feel I have a better understanding of aspects of our care I’d not seen or experienced before. I saw the diversity of the services we offer and the many ways we can support a patient’s care. I will be thinking of the people I met, their needs and how our services support them in my role as a Trustee now.”
Published 8th November 2024
