Top charity CEO to resign

Monday 08 May 2017

CEO of Family Nursing Home Care, Julie Gafoor, is to step down following five years leading the Island's largest charity, Express has learned.

Mrs Gafoor told colleagues that she would be leaving the role in order spend more time with her family and husband who retired last year.

“It has been a difficult decision but it has been a very challenging few months and the time is right to hand over to a new team to lead FNHC going forward,” she told FNHC staff in an internal email.

She departs the organisation following a very tough period for the charity amid serious disagreements with the Health department who provide the vast majority of FNHC's funding. 

FNHC currently receives in the region of £7m from Health under a contract for services to provide District Nursing, Rapid Response, Health Visiting, School Nursing and Children’s Community Nursing to Islanders.

In September, the care of more than 200 vulnerable and disabled islanders faced an increase in cost, while 118 members of staff saw their jobs put ‘potentially at risk’ while the charity renegotiated their contracts, a process which is still going on. 

Despite challenges, Mrs Gafoor said that it had, “…been a privilege to lead the organisation for the last five years.”

“We have together made some developments to the services that has resulted in many areas of expansion of which you can be proud.”

She will formally step down on 16 June, with Finance Director Adrian Blampied and Governance and Quality Lead Julie Foglia undertaking the role in the interim while the charity finds a new CEO.

In a statement, Mrs Gafoor said: "I have enjoyed my time as Chief Executive of Family Nursing & Home Care. As a trained nurse and health visitor, delivering the highest quality of care in the home is my passion and it has been an honour to be a part of the organisation that has played such an important role in caring for every part of Jersey’s community from new mothers and babies through to the elderly and most vulnerable.

"The charity has had a challenging few months and the time is right to hand over to a new team to lead Family Nursing & Home Care forward. My decision is purely for personal reasons so that I can enjoy retirement with my husband and family and I will be sad to leave such an incredibly dedicated team."