Tributes to ‘inspirational’ nurse and hospice chief
TRIBUTES have been paid to an ‘inspirational’ nurse, healthcare boss and M.E.N columnist who has died.
Much loved wife, mother, grandmother and sister Jayne Bessant worked at Manchester’s Eye Hospital for many years before going on to become chief executive at St Ann’s Hospice.
She also recently served as lead governor at the Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT) which oversees the city’s major hospitals.
She is credited with playing a ‘pivotal role’ in the trust’s creation as the result of a merger in 2017.
She died last week, aged 59, with her family at her side after living with cancer.
Jayne, who lived in Chorlton, was born in Winchester in Hampshire and grew up in Chester before moving to Manchester aged 18 to train as a nurse. She remained in the city for the rest of her life.
After many years at the eye hospital, she served in a number of roles at St Ann’s and was chief executive between 2010 and 2016.
During that time she wrote numerous columns for the Manchester Evening News about the charity’s work amongst other big issues.
She was also chief executive at the East Cheshire Hospice in Macclesfield between 2007 and 2010.
Her daughter, Sophie Bessant, said: “She was just adored by everyone. People just felt privileged to know her. She was smart, she was witty. But she was also fun and kind and caring.
“She was always interested in other people and had time for them. She was an amazing mum. The relationship we had was just a one in a million. We had such a strong bond.
“But she was a mother figure to so many other people as well, always offering advice and support.
“We’re so unbelievably proud of her and the work she did. You had to have those skills and the strength of character to do the roles that she did. It was always about helping others.
“She did all that whilst bringing me up by herself as a single mum. It’s incredible really.
“Up until just before lockdown she was still attending meetings, despite her own illness, because she was so dedicated.”
Jayne leaves behind sister Maxine, husband Chris Butt, daughter Sophie, her partner Will and granddaughter Robyn, stepson Tom, wife Catherine and grandson Felix, stepdaughter Rachel, partner Joel and grandson Otis and stepson Rob, wife Joanne and grandchildren Ella and Oliver.
Chris said: “Sadly Jayne has only been in my life for a little over 12 years, but in that relatively short time we have shared every emotion. By far the biggest is love, but there has also been plenty of laughter and excitement.
“She has a large number of amazing friends, ranging from those she met in childhood through to work friends and all those others she met along the way.
“She always has always had a lust for life, and boy did she know how to live.”
He added: “We have all lost an amazing and inspirational person and she will leave a massive void in all our lives for many years, but we can all reflect on what the joy of knowing her has added to each and every one of us.”
In 2008 she was elected into the role as governor at what is now MFT, which runs 12 hospitals in the city including Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).
Kathy Cowell, chairman of MFT, said: “Jayne had vision and passion and used these qualities to inform strategy. I think Jayne’s greatest skill was in reading and understanding people.
“Jayne always took the time to listen, and colleagues benefited from her wise counsel and her straight forward approach.
“She was a trusted voice amongst her governor colleagues, they respected her judgement.”
In a message sent to all staff and volunteers, St Ann’s current chief executive Eamonn O’Neal said: “Many of you will have worked with Jayne and known her well, as she had a long and successful career at St Ann’s in different roles, culminating in leading the hospice as Chief Executive.
“I was privileged to work alongside Jayne as Chair of the Trustees and saw first-hand the professionalism, dedication and care she brought to the hospice.
“Her main focus of course was her family and during her illness, she enjoyed the love, close attention and support of those who were closest to her.”