Director of Supportive Care | St Nicholas Hospice Care

Peridot Partners; Bury St Edmunds; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

St Nicholas Hospice Care is seeking a Director of Supportive Care to lead the strategic development and delivery of services addressing the wider needs of patients and families, including emotional, social and practical wellbeing alongside clinical care. You will shape how these services are designed and integrated across the hospice while growing people, partnerships and approaches for future success.

You will be a collaborative, emotionally intelligent leader who can inspire change, develop

Qualifications

• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and senior leadership.
• Strong safeguarding, quality assurance and governance knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and operational oversight for supportive care services, maintaining high standards of quality, accessibility and effectiveness.
• Lead, empower and develop multidisciplinary teams, creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, valued and able to perform at their best.
• Strengthen integration between clinical and supportive care services to provide a joined-up experience for patients and families.
• Identify opportunities to innovate, improve and extend services, informed by experiences of patients, families and the wider community.
• Build effective relationships with external partners and community organisations to extend reach and impact.

Job description

Home / Roles / Director of Supportive Care | St Nicholas Hospice Care

Director of Supportive Care St Nicholas Hospice Care

Shape the future of supportive care at St Nicholas Hospice Care, leading services that make a lasting difference to patients and families.

St Nicholas Hospice Care is looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Director of Supportive Care to lead and develop a vital part of its care provision, supporting people and families through some of life’s most challenging circumstances.

This is an opportunity to build on established services while bringing fresh thinking to how the hospice meets the emotional, psychological, social and practical needs of its communities.

As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will help shape the hospice’s strategic direction, champion the contribution of supportive care and ensure services continue to evolve in response to the people who need them.

We are looking for a credible, inclusive leader with the vision to develop services, the confidence to influence at a senior level and the ability to inspire and empower others.

Who we are

St Nicholas Hospice Care is a much-valued charity providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care and support to people living with life-limiting conditions, and to their families, across West Suffolk and Thetford.

With compassion and dignity at the heart of its work, the hospice supports people to live as well as possible, offering care that responds to their individual needs, wishes and circumstances.

The organisation has a strong connection to its local communities and a committed team of staff and volunteers who are passionate about making a difference.

Looking ahead, St Nicholas Hospice Care is entering an important period of development, with an ambition to strengthen its services, broaden its impact and ensure it can continue meeting the needs of its communities for years to come.

About the role

As Director of Supportive Care, you will lead the strategic development and delivery of services that address the wider needs of patients and families, recognising the importance of emotional, social and practical wellbeing alongside clinical care.

You will have the opportunity to influence how these services are designed, delivered and integrated across the hospice, while developing the people, partnerships and approaches needed to support their future success.

Key priorities will include:

• Providing strategic direction and operational oversight for supportive care services, maintaining high standards of quality, accessibility and effectiveness.
• Leading, empowering and developing multidisciplinary teams, creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, valued and able to perform at their best.
• Strengthening integration between clinical and supportive care services to provide a joined-up experience for patients and families.
• Identifying opportunities to innovate, improve and extend services, informed by the experiences of patients, families and the wider community.
• Building effective relationships with external partners and community organisations to extend the reach and impact of the hospice’s work.

You will bring a strong understanding of the wider needs of patients and families, alongside experience of leading multidisciplinary teams, developing services and delivering meaningful improvements. An understanding of safeguarding, quality assurance and effective governance will also be important.

You will be a collaborative and emotionally intelligent leader, able to build strong relationships, inspire confidence and bring people with you through change. Combining strategic thinking with sound judgement and pragmatism, you will have the confidence to challenge established approaches, make difficult decisions and identify opportunities to strengthen and develop services.

Above all, you will be motivated by the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives, ensuring that compassion, dignity and choice remain central to the hospice’s approach to care.

We would be delighted to hear from you.

St Nicholas Hospice Care is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 287773).

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Lucy Kennedy-Mavers

Thank you for your interest in joining St Nicholas Hospice Care as our next Director of Supportive Care.

We are incredibly proud of the care and support we provide to people and families across West Suffolk and Thetford, and of the dedication, compassion and expertise of our staff and volunteers who make this possible every day.

While the wider hospice sector continues to face significant challenges, we are fortunate to have a stable financial foundation and healthy reserves that allow us to plan for the future with confidence. This has enabled us to continue investing in and developing our services at a time when many organisations are sadly having to make difficult decisions about reducing provision. We recognise the responsibility that comes with this position and are ambitious about how we can build on our strengths to reach more people and make an even greater difference across our communities.

This is therefore an important time to join St Nicholas Hospice Care, and the appointment of our Director of Supportive Care will play a significant part in shaping how we support patients, families and those closest to them.

We know that the care people need extends far beyond their clinical needs. Emotional, psychological, social and practical support can make an enormous difference to people’s experiences, and we want to ensure these services continue to develop and respond to the needs of our communities.

We are looking for someone who can bring fresh thinking, strong leadership and a genuine understanding of holistic care. You will have the opportunity to build on our existing services, strengthen collaboration across teams and develop new approaches that help us reach and support people in the ways that matter most to them.

You will be joining a committed and passionate team, with the opportunity to develop and empower colleagues, build meaningful partnerships and contribute to the wider strategic direction of the hospice.

We know that the right person will bring more than their professional experience. We are looking for someone who shares our values, who cares deeply about the experiences of the people we support and who will approach this opportunity with curiosity, ambition and compassion.

I hope the information on this site gives you a sense of both the opportunity and what makes St Nicholas Hospice Care such a special organisation. If you feel you have the experience, qualities and motivation to make a difference, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Thank you again for your interest, and I very much hope you will consider joining us.

Best wishes,

About St Nicholas Hospice Care

Our story and impact

Founded in 1983, St Nicholas Hospice Care has been supporting people across West Suffolk and Thetford for more than 40 years. Established through a belief that there should be ‘something better’ for people facing terminal illness and their loved ones, that founding ambition continues to shape the organisation today.

Based in Bury St Edmunds, the hospice supports around 1,800 patients and their families each year through a broad range of services. These include specialist inpatient care on Sylvan Ward, community nursing and hospice care in people’s homes, alongside emotional, practical and bereavement support. Its work also extends to children and young people through Nicky’s Way, and to local communities through education, partnerships and volunteer-led initiatives.

Our people and resource

It costs approximately £9.7 million annually to deliver the hospice’s services, with statutory funding meeting around 32% of expenditure. The remainder is generated through the generosity of local communities, including fundraising, donations, retail, lottery income and gifts in Wills.

The hospice benefits from a committed workforce, dedicated volunteers and strong relationships with local healthcare providers and community partners, all of whom play an important role in ensuring people receive the support they need.

Looking to the future

At a time when many hospices are facing significant financial pressures and difficult decisions about service provision, St Nicholas Hospice Care is fortunate to have a stable financial foundation and healthy reserves. This provides an opportunity to continue investing in and developing services, while remaining mindful of the importance of long‑time sustainability.

The hospice’s strategic direction is centred around four priorities: delivering excellent specialist care, enabling communities, building robust partnerships and thriving sustainably. Together, these reflect an ambition not only to provide outstanding care directly, but to strengthen how people experiencing dying, death and grief are supported across the wider community.

The appointments of a Director of Care and Transformation and Director of Supportive Care represent an important investment in this next chapter, strengthening senior leadership capacity and helping to shape services for the future.

Learn more about St Nicholas Hospice Care

We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities.

We offer the following amenities:

• Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
• Accessibility dogs are welcome
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted

Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 23rd November 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Friday 27th November
First stage interviews: Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th December
Psychometric testing: Friday 11th December and Monday 14th December
Second stage interviews: Tuesday 17th December 2026

Peridot and St Nicholas Hospice Careare committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

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