Meet The Team

Dennis has a number of significant roles. Recognised internationally, he is former Pro Vice Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University and Chairman of BITWorld. He was awarded MBE by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to higher education.

Following his illustrious academic career he was appointed Chair of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and led a transformation that includes the new £740m hospital. Dennis is former Chair of Magistrates Court, Visiting Professor at international universities and currently serves as National Trustee and on the Board of the British Red Cross. Appointed by His Majesty King Charles III to be the High Sheriff of Cheshire 2023/24 Dennis also serves as Deputy Lieutenant of Cheshire.

Tina qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1985. Her clinical experience is in community nursing & before retiring from the NHS in 2016 she held NHS Executive Director roles for 13 years in both Hospital and Community Trusts.  Tina is currently a Director of the South Cheshire & Vale Royal GP Alliance which support the 29 GP practices in South Cheshire and Vale Royal. She is an Executive Committee member with Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership & holds a Senior Leadership role in SMASH Primary Care Network.  Tina previously worked as a Care Quality Commission specialist advisor and was involved in CQC inspections.

Lee qualified as a solicitor in 1989 and has specialised in corporate & commercial legal matters. He spent 3 years in private practice in London followed by several in house legal roles, most recently as Legal Director at Müller, where he also managed the property portfolio. In January 2019 he joined 2 Sisters Food Group as Director of People & Compliance, with responsibility for the Group HR, Legal & Communications teams, progressing to become Director of Corporate Projects in 2022, with responsibility for Corporate Legal & Strategic transactions. He retired in October 2024 and can now spend more time in the gym, in the garden or on the golf course.

Wendy has over 36 years’ experience as an HR professional and is a Full Member of Personnel and Development. She has worked for the Debenhams retail group and more recently Royal Mail where she held several senior HR positions at both National and Divisional level. Wendy’s Mother in law received amazing care at St Luke’s Day Hospice and several relatives have had care at end of life. She fully values the care and support St Luke’s provides and wants to give back, by ensuring  St Luke’s continues to thrive and be there in the Community for anyone who needs it services. Wendy is involved in many societies and groups, loves to travel and likes to keep fit so she can keep up with her growing gorgeous grandchildren.

Katie qualified with a MBChB from Liverpool University in 2005, moving to Cheshire to complete her General Practice Training. Katie is a General Practitioner working in Middlewich, with a specialist interest in Training Doctors to become future GPs. She also has a specialist interest in Nursing Home Care and Cancer Care.

Zoe has been an ACP in general practice for 8 years, alongside this she is also a Primary Care Network (PCN) lead nurse. She has been nursing at an advanced practice level for 15 years and completed her MSc Clinical Practice in 2018. She has always been dedicated to her career to high quality care and improving practice and has been recognised as a Queens Nurse.

Having been born in, and studied at University in Liverpool, Dan has lived in Cheshire since 2011. Having trained and qualified as a chartered accountant in practice, for the last 20+ years he has worked in the metals industry,  currently as a finance director. When not in work or supporting the hospice, Dan can usually be found on a golf course.

Rachael has over 25 years’ experience working as a professional Project and Programme Manager, delivering IT and business change projects, ranging from Telecoms, Insurance, Local and Central Government. Rachael’s most recent role saw her heading up the Government funding for building safety on high rise buildings, expanding her knowledge into construction project management. Rachael’s passion to support St Luke’s Hospice is twofold as she used the services offered at St Luke’s as an outpatient whilst she was recovering from breast cancer and, as a relative of a close family member who was in a hospice, Rachael understands how vital the services offered are to the community. Rachael has lived in Nantwich for the past 17 years with her husband and two teenage sons.

As a retired Pharmacist, Anita has 30 years’ experience of Clinical Development in the pharmaceutical industry and was, most recently, a co-founder director of an Oncology and Rare Disease focussed Clinical Research Organisation.

Anita has a passion driving quality, developing pragmatic and fit for purpose processes and maintaining high standards of governance.

Having been born with Cerebral Palsy, she has first-hand experience of living with a long-term condition and understands the challenges of navigating the healthcare system. Through her own experience and her work in cancer research, she also understands the importance of putting patients at the centre of their care decisions.

She has extensive experience as a charity trustee after spending 11 years at the charity Pharmacist Support, including being Chair & Vice Chair and is currently a trustee at Warrington Disability Partnership and Halton CAB.

Anita was born in Cheshire and after moving away in her early career she has been back in Cheshire, with her husband and 2 children, for the last 23 years.

After university, Pat spent five years in retail management. That led to a career of over 30 years in Further Education, firstly teaching and later in leadership roles. It was whilst Principal and CEO of St Helens College, that Pat was elected President of the Association of Colleges in England and was subsequently awarded a DBE in 2011 for services to Further Education, locally and nationally. Pat’s legacy at the College was a £60M rebuild, delivered to time and budget.

Pat has extensive experience in Non-Executive roles in the public, private and charitable sectors. Most recently she has just completed two terms as Chair of Cheshire College. Pat has also served on two acute Hospital Boards including 7 years as a NED / Deputy Chair of Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust. Pat is currently a member of the Cheshire County FA Board.

A Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Karen joins St Luke’s after working in the Urgent Care Sector for 12 years, the past 5 years spent working for a Social Enterprise provider in London where she progressed to Deputy Chief Executive. Prior to this, Karen started her HR career in a Local Authority in Greater Manchester where she worked for 10 years.

Karen is experienced in providing executive leadership and fostering a collaborative working culture. Karen has a strong commitment to delivering exceptional services, ensuring patients receive high quality care.

Away from work Karen enjoys spending time with her family and 3 dogs and is a season ticket holder for a Manchester football club.

Having been born and raised in Sandbach, Sally qualified as a doctor 22 years ago – BM BCh (Oxon), MA (Cantab).

She worked in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire before returning to Cheshire in 2012.

Sally initially trained in Elderly and General Medicine before moving over to Palliative Medicine in 2018, working in both the hospice and in the central Cheshire community supporting the Macmillan nursing team.

Sally achieved a Masters in Medical Education, a Diploma in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care, and passed the Royal College of Physicians Speciality Certificate Examination in Palliative Medicine. She has been Clinical Lead at St Luke’s since 2024.

Outside of work, Sally’s husband is a Salford Royal Consultant Anaesthetist, she has two teenage girls and a Cavalier King Charles dog.

Having grown up in Cheshire, with a long association with the hospice, Claire joined St Luke’s in 2011. This followed a career in the tourism and aviation industry working in commercial sales, operational and marketing roles. She says, “I’ve had a fulfilling career to date and my role at St Luke’s is definitely the pinnacle.”

On graduating from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology Nabela joined RSM Robson Rhodes as a trainee Chartered Accountant in their Leeds office. She has worked in various roles before being appointed Finance Director of St Luke’s in 2015. She is a “foodie” who enjoys both entertaining and eating out.