The Myton Hospices is delighted to welcome two new Trustees to its Board, while also thanking Dr Val Robson for her contribution to the organisation as she leaves her Trustee role after nine years’ service.

Trustees have an important role in supporting the strategic direction and governance of The Myton Hospices, helping to ensure the organisation can continue to provide high-quality specialist palliative and end of life care to people across Coventry and Warwickshire.

The Myton Hospices would like to thank Val for her expertise and the commitment she has given throughout her time with the organisation. Her involvement has been greatly valued by patients, families, staff, fellow Trustees and volunteers.

Joining the Board are Dr Kate Day and Sarah Castle OBE, who bring extensive professional experience and strong connections to the local community.

Dr Kate Day

Dr Kate Day has been a GP at Forrest Medical Centre in Coventry for almost 30 years and has led on palliative care at the practice for many years. Between 2016 and 2021, she was a Macmillan GP, working closely with Myton to develop training and workshops for GPs caring for people with palliative care needs.

Kate said:

I have always felt very strongly about the importance of end of life care and making sure people can access the right support when they need it. My work as a GP at Forrest Medical Centre has shown me first-hand how valuable hospice care is to patients and their families, and how vital it is that everyone has the same opportunity to benefit from it.

We try to take part in a charity walk each year at Forrest Medical Centre, and I was delighted to support Myton this year with their Walk for Myton. It was wonderful to bring our team and their families together as ‘Forrest Friends’ and take on the half marathon distance for a charity which means so much to our patients, our staff and our local community.

I am delighted to join Myton’s Board of Trustees and look forward to supporting the organisation’s work to improve access to specialist palliative and end of life care.

Sarah Castle OBE

Sarah Castle OBE is a lawyer and holds the positions of Official Solicitor for England and Wales and Public Trustee. As Official Solicitor, she represents people who lack the mental capacity to litigate, acting as their ‘litigation friend’. Her work includes serious medical treatment cases, including those concerning end of life care.

Sarah said:

I am delighted to have been appointed as a Trustee for The Myton Hospices. It is an organisation which I have always held in high regard, and having recently returned to North Warwickshire, I wanted to contribute to my local community.

Through my professional role as Official Solicitor, I have experience of some of the most challenging and distressing situations people and their families can face. I personally give instructions on serious medical treatment cases, including end of life cases, and consider it a privilege to represent people at such a critical point in their lives.

I approach my professional commitments with diligence and compassion, which I feel aligns closely with the ethos of The Myton Hospices. I am proud to serve as a Trustee and contribute to the work of an organisation that makes such a difference to patients and their families.

Sarah Faulkner, Chair of the Trustee Board, said:

We look forward to welcoming Kate and Sarah to the Board and to drawing on the knowledge, experience and fresh perspectives they bring at an important time for The Myton Hospices. As the need for specialist palliative and end of life care continues to grow across Coventry and Warwickshire, their contribution will be an important part of our continued development.

By working together across the organisation, we can build on the strength of our people, partnerships and services to ensure local people and their families continue to receive the compassionate, high-quality care and support they need.