The past three months have been a whirlwind and I have learned many things. What has struck me most is the tangible difference our hospice and neurological care makes to people's lives. It is humbling to see first hand how committed and dedicated our doctors, nurses and carers are in providing expert and compassionate care to people when they need it most.
That commitment extends right across the whole organisation, with colleagues in our charity shops, fundraising teams and support services all sharing a passion to help Sue Ryder continue to provide care for people living with life-changing illness. It is my privilege to work alongside so many talented and dedicated people.
I have been genuinely surprised at how helpful everyone has been, particularly the trustees. My 30 years experience in the commercial sector was very different. I've also learnt that I should trust what I learnt about Sue Ryder whilst I was director of retail and to use that insight in my role as chief executive officer.
I will ensure I continue to listen and connect with people who are living with life-changing illness, and their families, as well as my colleagues across the charity. It's only by really listening to people that I can steer Sue Ryder to realise its vision to create a society in which everybody has access to the care that they need, no matter where they live or what their circumstances are.
My predecessor, Paul Woodward (who we said a fond farewell to in November 2013) left Sue Ryder with an exciting vision for the future and a five year plan. This vision and plan remain in place, and we're working hard to take it forward.
To build an organisation that can develop and grow, it is vital to have the right people with the right skills in the right places. Over the coming months I will work with my colleagues to ensure we invest in our people to bring out their best. And that we make Sue Ryder a great place to work; a happy, motivated workforce is a productive and effective workforce.
In my previous interview I talked about the skills needed to work in the third sector and that they are the same skills you'd need to work in any organisation, whether for a charity or business in the private sector. Over the past three months, I've found the third sector to be incredibly collaborative and supportive, so I also think skills such as being open to opportunities and being good at networking and forging relationships would particularly support a career in the third sector.
I also talked about challenges facing Sue Ryder including the changing health and social care commissioning landscape. Funding to pay for and develop our care services continues to present many challenges ahead. The largest NHS restructure in its history, which came into force in April 2013, has changed the commissioning landscape and increased competition for health and social care providers.
The ongoing economic situation also means public sector budgets are under significant pressure. More than ever, we need to clearly demonstrate the benefit of our care to the people we aim to support, and innovate services in line with what people want.
As I mentioned earlier, I was fortunate to inherit a strong vision and clear plan ahead for Sue Ryder when I took on the role of chief executive officer. However there is much to be done to make our ambitious plan become a reality. To ensure we are successful in delivery of our five-year plan, we are working hard to ensure every single employee and volunteer at Sue Ryder has common understanding of what we are aiming to achieve and their role in making it happen.
100 days in, and I'm excited and proud to be chief executive of Sue Ryder. I'd like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to everybody at Sue Ryder and beyond for all the support you have given me personally since taking on the role. It means a lot, thank you.
Heidi Travis is the chief executive of Sue Ryder.
To hear more from voluntary sector leaders visit our Leader's Voices series and join the voluntary sector network.
