Senior Management

John has strategic and operational responsibility for the running of LOROS as a whole, providing leadership for the organisation and working with the Board of Trustees in articulating the vision, mission and values and monitoring performance against these and agreed priorities and objectives.

He aims to ensure that LOROS has the right number of staff and volunteers with the appropriate range of skills, a high level of motivation and morale, within a high quality working environment and all in alignment with the charity’s values.

Operating LOROS on a sound financial basis is a key part of the role as well as ensuring that appropriate facilities, equipment, systems, policies and processes are in place.

In addition to being Chief Executive, John is also the Company Secretary and as such is responsible for ensuring compliance with legal and statutory requirements and also external reporting, which includes both to Companies House and the Charity Commission.

He has overall responsibility for ensuring that LOROS develops and maintains a positive reputation with a range of external bodies, stakeholders and the general public and is actively involved in promoting the awareness of LOROS’s activities and the need for support.

John has held a number of Chief Executive roles in the voluntary sector, most recently as CEO of a charity on the Isle of Man that works extensively with children, young people and families deemed to be vulnerable or at risk. Outside of LOROS John is a keen sports person and enjoys a range of outdoor activities for recreation.

Dr Feathers is the medical lead for the Hospice and oversees the medical aspects of care for patients on the ward, in day therapy, out patients and at home, in conjunction with their general practitioners and the community teams.

He is responsible for co-ordinating the other doctors who work at the Hospice including those in training. He chairs the Clinical Governance and Therapeutic Groups as part of maintaining high quality governance for the Hospice.

He trained in Newcastle upon Tyne and then worked in anaesthetics, hospital medicine and general practice before training in palliative medicine in the North East, Aberdeen, Nottingham and then Leicester.

He has been particularly interested in developing services for patients with neurological conditions, has some training in cognitive behaviour therapy and facilitates advanced communication skills courses.

He became the Medical Lead for LOROS in December 2006 and shares responsibility for developing the Hospice strategy, focusing particularly on clinical services.

Jo is responsible for all care services delivered by LOROS, including Inpatients, Day Therapy, Enablement (Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers) Community Palliative Care Nurse Specialist Team, Lymphoedema, Family Support, Counselling and Chaplaincy. Jo trained as a registered nurse in Lincoln and qualifed in 1983. She is also a registered midwife and has a BSc (Hons) in Nursing and an MA in Applied Health Studies.

Her experience spans a number of different specialities including general surgery, midwifery and oncology (cancer) and haematology, where she worked in both clinical and managerial positions. Latterly, Jo spent six years in a strategic role at the East Midlands Cancer Network before joining the team at LOROS in 2011.

In addition to her care services responsibilities, Jo also has several administrative and compliance roles at the Hospice. She is: the Hospice’s Caldicott Guardian, with responsibility for protecting patients’ personal information and data; the Accountable Officer with responsibility for ensuring legal compliance in all matters relating to controlled drugs; and the Registered Manager with responsibility for ensuring that the Hospice complies with all standards set by the Care Quality Commission.

Karen works closely with the Chief Executive Officer as part of an ongoing strategic review of LOROS, to ensure that there is a clear and sustainable vision for the future, ensuring awareness of the changing external landscape. She works closely with local service commissioners, develops business cases with the aim of maximising income and improving services for patients and their families.

Her experience has been predominately spent in strategy and performance. Karen spent a number of years at Lancaster and South Cumbria Cancer Network where she led the implementation of the National Bowel Cancer Programme in that area. She went on to work for Leicestershire Primary Care Trust and led a successful CQC inspection before going on to becoming the End of Life Commissioning Lead, developing the local End of Life Strategy.

Karen joined the Hospice in May 2011 and has a Masters (with distinction) Degree in Hospice Leadership from Lancaster University. Prior to joining LOROS, Karen had been a volunteer on the Hospice snack bar for five years.

R.N. and MA Education

Ruth undertook her nurse training in Manchester and worked in the hospital and community settings before moving to Leicestershire in the early 1990s. She worked at Groby Road Hospital and then Leicester Hospitals, where her interest in education developed. Whilst working on the wards she undertook various courses to achieve a teaching qualification and a degree in Health Studies. Ruth's career started to focus on Practice Education and progressed into workforce development and planning. She has always been committed to Life Long Learning and this formed the theme for her MA in Education. Ruth has taken up opportunities to broaden her understanding of education and achieved travel scholarships to visit Poland and Canada, as well as being part of a team visiting India to deliver leadership training to nurses.

Ruth is delighted to join the team and using her knowledge and experience to support the entire workforce in delivering an excellent service to and for the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Ruth and her family enjoy organising events and competing with their two horses at carriage driving competitions.