We’re absolutely thrilled to share that our Head of Community Services, Callie Harrop, has won an award at this year’s Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards.
Callie was one of three shortlisted finalists in the Rising Star category and took home the accolade at last night’s ceremony, held at Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum.
We’re also proud to be the only hospice to have been recognised with an award.
The awards are organised by the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, celebrating outstanding individuals and teams working across health, social care and community services across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester.
Since becoming our Head of Community Services in May 2024, Callie has led our Community Services teams to enhance patient pathways, streamline referrals and improve care coordination.
“I was overwhelmed, honoured and humbled to be recognised and receive this award,” Callie reflected. “It was a fantastic opportunity to hear all the wonderful things happening across Greater Manchester and I’m so proud to be recognised as a part of that.”
She was nominated for her award by our Clinical Director, Nicola Cheetham, who shared: “Callie is an exceptional leader whose commitment to compassionate care shines through and has made a real impact at Willow Wood. On behalf of everyone at the Hospice, huge congratulations to Callie – we’re all really proud of her fantastic achievement.”
Willow Wood and GTD Healthcare have been working in partnership on an exciting 12-month pilot project, aimed at enhancing the delivery of palliative care at the Hospice.
The initiative, which began in February 2025, was developed from an idea of the Hospice’s Clinical Director Nicola Cheetham.
A passionate advocate for nursing, Nicola proposed trialling a new model of care that places a senior nurse with enhanced skills and non-medical prescribing (NMP) responsibilities alongside doctors on the Hospice’s Inpatient Unit.
Nicola said: “This collaboration builds on the success of our previous partnership in 2022, when GTD Healthcare supported our out-of-hours medical cover.
“We are excited to see how this new initiative enhances patient care and look forward to working closely with GTD Healthcare to develop further opportunities for partnership and service improvement.”
Recognising the value of this innovative idea and the challenges of implementing it, GTD Healthcare – a social enterprise that delivers GP practices, urgent care and community services across the North West – provided one of its experienced clinicians to support the pilot.
Claire Wilson, a Senior Clinical Practitioner and Specialist Palliative Care Nurse, has had a positive impact since February when she started working two days a week alongside the Hospice’s medical and nursing teams, delivering specialist palliative care within the Inpatient Unit.
Claire Wilson has been working on the Inpatient Unit at the Hospice since February
Claire said: “This is such an exciting opportunity for me — it’s the first time I’ve worked in Tameside, but having worked in a hospice before, I know just how special and impactful they are.
“The team here have made me feel incredibly welcome. I see this as not just a learning opportunity for the whole team, but for me too. Ultimately, everything we do is about enhancing patient care, and I’m really proud to be part of this pilot.”
In addition, Margaret Hayes, Palliative Care Lead at GTD Healthcare, is also overseeing clinical supervision to the Hospice’s Inpatient Unit team on a monthly basis.
A full evaluation of the pilot will take place after six months but the early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Margaret commented: “This is a great opportunity for GTD Healthcare to work with our wider partners and show the wide range of knowledge and expertise that the organisation has. We are really looking forward to our ongoing work with Willow Wood and to see how the project progresses.”
Tracy Minshull says she feels “both proud and humbled to lead such an incredible organisation” as she marks a year in charge of Willow Wood Hospice.
Tracy officially took over the reins as Chief Executive Officer from Karen Houlston on 1st May 2024.
It has been a busy and rewarding first 12 months in the role for Tracy, who has worked in the health and social care sector for over 25 years.
Reflecting on her time at the Hospice so far, she said: “One early moment stood out to me: a patient’s husband said: ‘Even the smallest things, you do really well’. It’s a simple statement that perfectly captures the care we provide.
“This year has been all about relationships. It’s been a privilege to connect with our staff, volunteers, trustees, patrons, and the families we serve. I’ve spent time in our hospice, across the community, and at our retail shops, gaining insight into the vital roles everyone plays.
“I’ve also focused on building strategic partnerships, including becoming Deputy Chair for the Palliative and End of Life Care Improvement Group. These connections help ensure our services remain accessible across Tameside and Glossop.
“I also joined fellow Greater Manchester hospice leaders to lobby MPs in Parliament to raise awareness for the funding plight of hospices, and to keep hospice care at the forefront of the minds of our elected representatives.
“We’ve welcomed four new trustees, launched quarterly engagement sessions, and co-designed our Five-Year Strategy, which will be published in June. A big thank you to all who contributed — your input has shaped our future.
“Looking ahead, we’ll continue building strong relationships, delivering exceptional care, and ensuring Willow Wood thrives for years to come. Thank you for being part of our journey.”
Our Medical Director, Dr Mary Ann Mahadevan, recently travelled to Sri Lanka where she learned more about the work of Jaffna Hospice.
Accompanied by her husband Dush, who is also a doctor and whose family hail from the south-east Indian Ocean island, Mary Ann delivered an insightful and engaging presentation to share knowledge with their staff and student nurses.
“I talked about how palliative care services are generally structured in the UK, as well as some common challenges,” she explained.
“I then talked more specifically about the services that we deliver in Tameside and Glossop and at Willow Wood. I enjoyed telling them all about our hospice and showing them pictures of our facilities and staff.”
Upon visiting the 22-bed inpatient hospice, which first opened in January 2006, she discovered how they administer palliative care with finite resources.
“It is a beautiful and well-cared-for place with lovely gardens just like Willow Wood,” Mary Ann noted. “The thing that struck me the most was the dedication of the staff to deliver the best care they could with the limited resources they had available.
“There were lots of differences between the organisations and the care that is delivered but the thing that we definitely had in common was the passion of the staff.
“Hospices in the UK are really struggling right now, but it really pales in comparison to what they are working with over there.”
Mary Ann reflected on the visit as being “really interesting, inspiring and thought provoking” from which she learned a lot.
“I think the importance of sharing knowledge and experience with others is really valuable as we can all learn from each other,” she stated.
“I learned about how palliative care is delivered in a completely different healthcare system, as well as the value of community in caring for people as they approach the end of life.”
Mary Ann hopes the experience can mark the beginning of a lasting relationship between the hospices.
“I would be really keen to support them with their education and training needs, and I hope that our experiences can help them to develop as a service. They were really keen to forge an ongoing relationship with Willow Wood and I would be very happy with that.”
One of the Hospice’s longest-serving staff members has retired after 25 years of being part of the Willow Wood family.
Janet Breslin has been with the Hospice almost from the very beginning of our journey, joining in August 1999 – around a month before the Inpatient Unit (IPU) opened.
Staff and volunteers from all departments gathered to say a fond farewell and thank you on her final working day on Wednesday (31st July), which brought the curtain down on a career in nursing spanning over 45 years.
Janet started her training in 1976 in Stafford before registering as a psychiatric nurse in 1979. Two years later, she registered as a general nurse after completing her training and has stayed in that field ever since.
She has worked as a district nurse and had previous experience of working in a hospice at St Ann’s for 10 years, before taking up a role as a sister on our IPU.
Janet before the Hospice opened (left) and on the Inpatient Unit before she moved to Wellbeing (right)
“The first few weeks were getting ready for the ward opening, making sure we had all the equipment we needed and getting documentation ready,” Janet explained.
“Most of the staff had been appointed by then and we had a team building week before the IPU opened which went very well. We were blessed to have a mixed team – including people from The Christie and several other hospices with different ideas.”
Janet expanded her skillset at Willow Wood by working in several different roles, most recently as Wellbeing Team Leader.
“I worked on the IPU for over 20 years. From there, a triage role was developed, it was a one-year secondment so I worked with the specialist palliative care nurses and clinical admin team to triage all of the referrals that came into the Hospice and specialist nurses, so the role was to contact people, get a background history and find the right care for patients.
“Following that role, I joined the Wellbeing team to help with the development of services, which I have done for just over two years up to my retirement.”
Unsurprisingly, she has seen a myriad of changes at the Hospice as the services available to patients from Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness have evolved.
This has included the appointment of occupational therapists and a clinical educator; the development of the complementary therapy team, medical team and dementia support; and the increase in counselling available through the family support team.
Janet with some of her colleagues in the early days of her career
Indeed, there are various achievements that Janet will look back upon with immense pride.
“I am certainly very proud to have been part of the Hospice from the very start, involved in setting up the services, and making a difference to people’s lives through my work,” she reflected.
“In 2016, I was thrilled to represent Willow Wood at an event to celebrate the work that hospices do at the Speaker’s House in the House of Commons. It was a special occasion and I met Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Dr Sarah Wollaston MP.
“In 2017, I was very proud that myself and Wendy Irons received a Dignity in Care award for collaborative working with the palliative respite team to enable a young lady to have her wishes granted.
“Also in 2018, the Inpatient Unit was shortlisted from around 400 recommendations for the Greater Manchester Care Awards in the category ‘People’s champion’ for outstanding commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of others. It was brilliant and I felt so proud of the team for what was a big achievement.”
Janet and some of her colleagues at a Masquerade Ball
Janet hopes to volunteer in healthcare locally and stay connected with the Hospice, but there are aspects of her job she will dearly miss.
“I will miss the people who I have worked,” she said. “I have enjoyed supporting and developing staff and volunteers, and working with the student nurses in helping with their development – it was a big part of my role which I really enjoyed.
“The team I have worked with in Wellbeing are fantastic. I will certainly miss the contact with patients and making a difference to their lives which is what it’s all about. I will still stay in touch with the Hospice, Willow Wood has been a big part of my life for 25 years.”
As she begins a new chapter in her life, Janet plans to make the most of her free time – including following her beloved Manchester City Football Club at home and abroad.
“I might have the opportunity to go to more European matches now,” she said. “I’ve got some holidays already booked to places I want to see.
“I will go out for lunches with my friends and catch up with old colleagues. I’ve been thinking about getting a dog so more walks too. Last year I started going to a pottery class which I’ll continue going to.
“It will seem strange at first having time to do all these things. The fact I will no longer be in nursing will leave a void, it’s part of my identity.”
Everyone at Willow Wood thanks Janet for her long service and wishes her a happy and healthy retirement.
Janet with her Wellbeing team colleagues
She has also expressed her gratitude to the Hospice for supporting her over the years.
“Thank you to the teams that I have worked with for the support they have given me and the commitment to the work they do. I’m thankful to be blessed to have worked with some amazing people at Willow Wood and thank you to the management for believing in my abilities.
“When I went to Wellbeing, it was so new to me but Nicola [Cheetham], our Clinical Director, gave me that belief and support to be able to do that. It was a challenge that I embraced and have enjoyed.
“Thank you to all of our volunteers, I have worked with some amazing people. They support us and we support them.”
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