Our Board of Trustees

I’m Nicholas Jeffrey and I joined Ashgate as Chair of the Board of Trustees in April 2019.

I will be bringing expertise from my successes in business and my previous roles as Chair of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of Sheffield Hallam University’s Board of Governors.

I’m Daniel Ratchford, and have been a Trustee at Ashgate Hospice since July 2015.

I’m a Director at the global healthcare data company IQVIA, running their UK patient insight business. I’ve got a team of nearly 70, based mainly in Chesterfield, but our work regularly takes me around the UK and further afield. I’ve previously worked as a director in the NHS, and in local government, and also spent time in central government.

I have degrees in Philosophy and Management Studies; Politics; and an MBA.

I trained as an accountant and qualified whilst living up in the North East, and then moved to Chesterfield with my wife and two daughters in 1988 to work for Royal Mail.

Following a wide variety of finance roles across the UK, I moved to HR in 2003 to set up and run the largest HR Shared Service Centre in Europe. I remained there up to my retirement in 2017.

Outside of my Royal Mail career, I have also worked with a wide variety of local organisations such as Surestart, Pathways, Business in the Community, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Bluebell Wood and the Ashgate Allotment Society.

In 2020, I experienced first hand the wonderful help and support that another local hospice provided to a very close friend and her family. This further ignited my passion to help Ashgate Hospice build for the future.

I joined Ashgate in 2020 during the second wave of COVID. I am passionate about end of life and palliative care, having supported my mum who died of breast cancer in 2019.

I am currently the Director of Integration & Direct Services for Derby City Council, and an active member of the local NHS and social care “system” – known as Joined Up Care Derbyshire. My professional experience is as a Chief Officer within Local Government, as well as operational experience within the housing and homelessness sectors. I have previously been a Board Member for Framework Housing Association. I am also currently a Trustee of a small family support charity in Derby called Family Support Derbyshire.

I’m Malcolm Pope and I joined Ashgate Hospice as a Trustee in 2015. I am also a member of the Finance Advisory Group.

I am one of nine Partners at Shorts Chartered Accountants, which has offices in both Chesterfield and Sheffield. I have been with the firm for more than 15 years. I specialise in presenting financial information to local owner-managed businesses in an easy-to-understand manner. I then use this information to help management make informed strategic decisions. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and Auditor as well as a registered and approved coach for GrowthAccelerator.

I am looking forward to using the skills I have gained in my commercial career to date to contribute to the development of Ashgate Hospice.

I’m Nigel Myhill and I became a Trustee at Ashgate Hospice in January 2019.

My background is in Estates and Facilities for over 30 years within the NHS. I have also been a board-level Director since 2005, covering mental health, primary care and acute care. My last post in the NHS was Director of Estates and Facilities in a large integrated NHS Trust in London. I have also worked in the Australian health system. I now work part-time as a self-employed management consultant. I am a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Manager, my qualifications include MBA, MSc and BSc.

I am proud to be a Trustee of such a wonderful caring organisation and I hope to use my skills and experience to contribute to the Ashgate Hospice.

I’m Penny Brooks and I joined Ashgate as a Trustee in 2014.

My background is as an experienced NHS Chief Nurse. I have worked for over 40 years within NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts and commissioning organisations. I have held Board level positions since 2001, the most recent of which was as Chief Nurse of Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group. I am also a trained Executive Coach and Mentor with an active interest in the education and training of the workforce to support the delivery of excellent services for patients. In December 2017, I retired from the NHS and now am a Director of an independent consultancy providing leadership development and coaching support to public sector organisations.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent successful treatment in 2012. I use my personal experience along with my clinical and professional background, within my role of Trustee. That role includes being a Vice-Chair and chairing the Healthcare Governance Committee. I really enjoy being part of such an amazing organisation and feel privileged that we have these services within our community.