Hospice unveils hometown girl Carla as new Chief Executive
A new Chief Executive has been appointed at the Ayrshire Hospice.
Carla MacEwan, who grew up in Symington and later worked in Irvine, Saltcoats, Dunlop, Kilmarnock and Ayr, returns to her home region to take up the vital role.
She said: “I am deeply honoured that the Board has entrusted the continued growth and development of the Ayrshire Hospice to me, and with our excellent team of staff and volunteers, we will strive to support all those with lifelimiting illness and their families, across every corner of Ayrshire, from Ballantrae to Brodick and beyond.
“With a major Capital Redevelopment planned for the Racecourse Road site, it is going to be full of opportunities to connect with people of all age groups, as we work to maximise our reach and further enhance the awareness of Palliative Care as a right for all who need it.
“For over 31 years, the Ayrshire Hospice has offered care both in the Hospice and at home for patients and families.
“The Hospice leadership team is committed to making sure we continue to do so, in the best setting possible, for the next 30 years and beyond. I am very much looking forward to being part of our journey to success.”
Carla joins Hospice from healthcare and leadership roles in public, private and third sectors in the UK, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Australia.
John Corrigan, Chair of the Ayrshire Hospice Board of directors, added: “We interviewed a number of very high calibre candidates for this important post and were unanimous in selecting Carla.
“Her unique leadership experience in healthcare and other sectors across three continents is very impressive, and she excelled in demonstrating her understanding of the current and future needs of the Ayrshire community and the role to be played by the Ayrshire Hospice in addressing those needs.
“We are confident that under Carla’s knowledgeable and energetic leadership this much loved charity, that has touched the lives of so many Ayrshire families over three decades, will grow even stronger.”
• The Hospice, which looks after patients from across Ayrshire, had 1,432 referrals during 201819 with 27 per cent from East Ayrshire, 35 per cent from South Ayrshire and 38 per cent from North Ayrshire.
More than 3,172 visits were made to patients during 2018- 19 by the team of community specialist palliative care nurses.
A total of 189 permanent employed staff and 512 volunteers work under the Hospice umbrella.
The team of volunteers gave 109,622 hours of their time during 2018- 19.
The cost to run the Hospice is almost £ 8 million per year including clinical, fundraising and support services – equating to almost £ 22,000 per day. Over £ 4.6 million was raised through voluntary donations in 2018/ 19 alone.