Former Matron At Christie Hospital Takes The Helm At Hospice

Nightingale House Hospice has welcomed a new face to its’ senior management team.

Mandy Cunningham took up her role as Head of Clinical Services & Patient Care last month. She brings a wealth of experience with her after holding senior posts at leading North West cancer hospitals The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool and The Christie Hospital, Manchester.

She lives on the Wirral with her husband Chris and the couple have two children, a son Steven, who is married to Stacey, and daughter Abbie, and two grand-children.

Mandy always had an ambition to be a nurse and started out as cleaner when she was 16 years old. She took her first nursing job as a community bath nurse in Chester, then as an auxiliary nurse, before being offered the opportunity to do her formal nurse training and finally graduating with a degree in nursing from the University of Chester.

Mandy said: “I enjoyed palliative care in the community so I knew I wanted to specialise in Oncology. During my time at Clatterbridge I was a chemotherapy nurse and became a ward manager before I moved over to Christie to be Matron of Acute Oncology.”

“As soon as I walked into Nightingale House I felt it was a very inspirational place. I am always looking to see how things can be improved and I am optimistic we can bring about positive change and improved services for those in our catchment area living with life-limiting illnesses.”

Mandy recently introduced a new respite care service as part of a four-week rolling programme. Patients can be offered between four and seven days respite in the hospice, to give families an opportunity to take a break knowing their loved ones are being cared for at Nightingale House, whilst being able to facilitate those patients who may need urgent admission on to the ward.

She added: “When patients and their families are given advanced notice of respite care they are able to make plans, particularly if they need to get away or re-charge their batteries at home, away from the responsibilities of being the primary carer.”