About Demelza Hospice Care for Children

Demelza provides expert clinical and emotional support to children and young people with serious or terminal conditions and their families, to live the best life they can.

Many need care and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with constant medical appointments and often gruelling medication and caring regimes. Providing this care puts huge emotional, financial and practical pressure on the whole family, making it almost impossible to maintain any kind of stable family life.

Demelza can help improve the wellbeing, independence, knowledge and resilience of families while empowering them to do their very best during the most difficult of times. Working across Kent, South East London and East Sussex, its specialist nursing, care, family liaison, therapist and counselling teams support families when and where it is needed most. This may be within residential hospices in Kent or South East London, a hub in East Sussex, online, out in the community or in the family home.

Demelza can help to keep children out of hospital or leave hospital sooner, and its specialist nursing and care team can help train parents to meet the complex medical needs of their children with confidence. It can help families to smile, laugh and offers the rare opportunity to relax. Most importantly, Demelza can help children to be with their families, enjoying their time together and creating memories which will last a lifetime.

Every year, Demelza supports over 2,700 beneficiaries. This includes babies, children and young people with serious or terminal conditions but also their mums, dads and carers, their brothers and sisters, their grandparents and other family members. But with more babies surviving with serious or terminal conditions and children living longer with increasingly complex medical and social needs, it is estimated that there are more than 8,000 families in the South East who could be accessing Demelza’s services.

That is why the charity's ambitious five-year strategy will see it extend its reach to support more families, whilst increasing its offer to those already accessing its services. You can read about the new five-year strategy here. You can also find out more about Demelza and the work of the Board from a recent Trustee recruitment pack here.

Alongside a committed and experienced Board, the new Chair will work in partnership with the Chief Executive to ensure that Demelza has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction, and that the organisation, the Trustees and the Senior Leadership Team are focused on achieving these.

In addition, the new Chair will play an important role in:

• Acting as a link between the Board and staff
• Managing the Chief Executive on behalf of the Board
• Planning for and overseeing Board meetings, ensuring that they are properly run and recorded
• Maintaining effective relationships with supporters and stakeholders
• Promoting Demelza to the wider public and representing it at certain events

To achieve its ambitious strategy, Demelza is looking for a new Chair. Ideally they will hold, or have held, a senior executive or non-executive position in the public sector. This may have been in health or care, but the charity is open to those with a variety of backgrounds who bring a strong interest in health.

The new Chair will have a proven track record of success in marshalling strategy in a changing and often emotive environment, and will be an altruistic and emotionally intelligent individual capable of leading the Board and executives by example. They will galvanise the support and interaction of the Board of Trustees and CEO to optimise the achievement of strategic goals.

Demelza is an independent charity with no formal links to the NHS, so the new Chair will be able to work with other Trustees and the executive team to ensure that its services continue to be outstanding and respond to the needs of its beneficiaries. Charity governance experience and broad commercial acumen would also be welcome, but is not essential.

On a personal level, applicants will be committed to Demelza's vision and values, and have the time needed to make an effective contribution. Some connection to the region which the charity serves - Kent, East Sussex and South East London - is preferred.

The role is unremunerated but reasonable out of pocket expenses will be paid. A tablet will be provided to access Demelza email, board papers and other documents, and a training platform.

The Chair is appointed for a three-year term and may stand again for re-election for one further three-year term, serving a maximum of six years in the role.

Time commitment

Trustees serve on the main Board and at least one Board Sub-committee, both of which meet quarterly. Each meeting lasts between two and two and a half hours, with agendas and papers to be read in advance. The Chair will also have a monthly meeting with the CEO and attend approximately six events / celebrations throughout the year. There is also an annual Trustee / SLT strategic away day. Some meetings can be joined virtually but others (e.g. the annual away day) must be in-person.

Location

Demelza services extend across Kent and East Sussex and into the London boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Croydon, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. Interaction with its two residential hospice sites in Sittingbourne, Kent and Eltham, South East London is strongly encouraged, as well as with the Community Nursing Team in East Sussex. Ideally, candidates will therefore be based in the South East.