HAVENS Hospices has appointed a new director with 26 years of experience in the NHS to lead it “through a period of exciting change”.

Ellie Miller from Chelmsford has already been working at Havens Hospices for a year as head of in-patient services, before being promoted to director this month.

Ellie, 45, previously worked in the NHS for 26 years before making the switch to palliative care.

She started her career in 1991, aged 18, moving to Essex from her home in Oxfordshire to pursue her nurse training.

Her first role was as staff nurse on the children’s ward at Basildon Hospital, moving to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford then becoming ward manager at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow in 2000, where she also trained as a Community Children’s Nurse.

Since 2005, Ellie was based at Provide Community Interest Company, managing services that were providing short breaks for children with specialist palliative care needs and organising specialist training for non-health care staff and special School Nursing.

Ellie said: “Having worked in the NHS full time for 26 years, coming into Havens Hospices is a real change.

“As a nurse I am passionate about delivering excellent patient-led safe and effective nursing care of the highest standard.

“I am delighted and extremely proud to be leading a team responsible for the delivery of excellent care to our patients and families at one of the most significant and touching times of their lives. A time when often we have only one chance to get it right.

“I have worked in both hospital and community settings, but the hospice philosophy has always been close to my heart; it is patient and family experience, and the pursuit of quality that matters and will always drive the decisions that I take.

“Some of the moments I have witnessed so far at Havens Hospices have taken me to the core of why I chose my profession. I have seen interactions that have inspired me, lifted me, humbled me, and made me laugh and cry.”

This means that she will be leading the care for all the services within Havens Hospices.

This includes Fair Havens for adults in Southend, Castle Point and Rochford, Little Havens for children with life-limiting conditions and The J’s for young adults with life-limiting conditions.

These hospice care services not only look after the patient’s clinical needs, but look at their holistic care too as well as supporting their families.

Ellie joins the charity at a time of immense change. The J’s Hospice joined the charity in April 2017 and a brand new Fair Havens Hospice will be opening in Prittlewell in 2020.

Ellie added: “I am excited and energised about where our future is heading. We are the only hospice in the country delivering all-age palliative care. We have a brand new adult hospice to get ready for.

“The horizon of children’s palliative care is changing and we will be looking at models of care and where we want to be to best support the changing needs of families.

“We are delivering services to young people in Essex that do not exist in other parts of the country; a valuable lifeline to those families. A lot to celebrate and build on.”