New Chief Executive for St Luke’s Hospice

Jo Lenton comes to the role following a career based firmly in the field of palliative care.

Jo qualified as a nurse from the Sheffield School of Nursing in 1992, with a Diploma in nursing studies.

She began her career on a general surgical ward, where many of the patients were undergoing surgery for a cancer diagnosis and this is where Jo first developed her interest in the area of palliative care.

She has been a part of the St Luke’s team since 2008, beginning as a Community Specialist Palliative Care Nurse, moving to the role of Manager for Community Nursing in 2016 and Head of Community Nursing in 2017 and then being appointed to Director of Care and Lead for Healthcare Partnerships in 2019.

She was subsequently appointed St Luke’s Chief Nurse and Director of Care Services in 2023.

“I am truly delighted to have been given this incredible opportunity to take St Luke’s forward,” said Jo.

“This is a challenging time for the hospice movement, both in terms of the services provided and the funding needed, but I know from many years of experience working in palliative care how valuable those services are and how much people need them.

“St Luke’s was the first hospice to open outside London more than half a century ago and it has since then been a consistent champion and a benchmark for the highest levels of end of life care.

“I look forward to taking St Luke’s into many new areas of support for our patients, developing vital palliative care research programmes and strengthening services for future generations.”

Jo’s appointment as Chief Executive follows the resignation of Peter Hartland after 15 years in the post.

“Jo has a tremendous career track record with St Luke’s and a wealth of knowledge and experience in palliative care that precedes her time with St Luke’s and established her credentials as a sector leader through her Master’s Degree in Voluntary Sector Management at the City of London University in 2023 and membership of the Executive Clinical Leads in Hospice and Palliative Care forum,” said St Luke’s Chair of Trustees Adrian Belton.

“Naturally, Peter leaving St Luke’s after 15 years as Chief Executive has been a big change for St Luke’s, and likewise the appointment of Jo as our new Chief Executive will be a further change, but similarly one that we hope will be embraced with excitement and new energy for the future.”

St Luke’s Hospice is a pioneer in palliative care and has been supporting terminally ill patients, their families and loved ones in Sheffield for more than 50 years.

St Luke’s isn’t only for cancer patients – it also helps people with other illnesses including neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease and end stage heart, lung and kidney conditions.

Last year, the charity cared for almost 1,800 patients, and supported their families and carers – helping around 6,000 people in all.

The St Luke’s Community Team made 6,286 visits to patients in their own homes across Sheffield, helping to support them and the other healthcare professionals caring for them.

Meanwhile the St Luke’s In Patient Centre provided 24-hour specialist palliative care for around 300 people.

There were also more than 6,800 attendances at the St Luke’s Patient and Family Support service, while over 500 bereaved relatives received 2,500 sessions of counselling and support.

St Luke’s also trains other healthcare providers in Sheffield to care for their own terminally ill patients, and its educational influence extends far beyond Sheffield’s boundaries.

For more than 50 years the example of St Luke’s pioneering work and the outstanding expertise of its staff have been benefiting hospice patients both nationwide and worldwide.

There is no charge for any services to St Luke’s patients and families and out of the £12 million it takes to deliver those services annually, more than £9 million comes from public support, through the award-winning chain of St Luke’s shops and from fundraising, legacies and donations.