Client Overview
St Joseph’s Hospice is along-established provider of specialist palliative care, supporting people with progressive and life-limiting illnesses across East and North London. With a history spanning more than a century, the Hospice plays a vital role in delivering compassionate care to a diverse local community.
Operating from a complex urban site comprising buildings developed over several decades, St Joseph’s Hospice required an experienced Facilities Manager to oversee the safe, compliant, and effective operation of its estate while supporting the ongoing development of its services.
The role was critical to ensuring that facilities, catering, housekeeping, health & safety, and estates operations continued to support patients, families, staff, volunteers, and visitors.
The Challenge
St Joseph’s Hospice required a Facilities Manager capable of balancing operational delivery with strategic estate planning within a sensitive and highly regulated healthcare environment.
The successful candidate needed to manage a broad range of facilities services while ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, healthcare standards, and Care Quality Commission expectations.
Key responsibilities included:
- Strategic and operational facilities management
- Estate maintenance and lifecycle planning
- Health, safety, and statutory compliance
- Care Quality Commission compliance support
- Catering, housekeeping, and support services oversight
- Contractor and supplier management
- Budget management and financial control
- Risk management and governance
- Team leadership across multi-disciplinary services
- Development of a long-term site strategy
- Support for patient, staff, and visitor experience
- Operational continuity across a live healthcare environment
The role required an individual with strong technical facilities expertise, excellent people management skills, and a clear understanding of the standards required within healthcare and care-led environments.
Our Approach
Understanding the Requirement
We worked closely with St Joseph’s Hospice to understand the operational complexity of the estate, the sensitivity of the environment, and the importance of facilities services in supporting high-quality care.
Particular focus was placed on identifying candidates with experience across:
- Healthcare facilities management
- Health & safety compliance
- CQC-regulated environments
- Estate maintenance and development
- Catering and housekeeping services
- Contractor and supplier management
- Budget and resource management
- Team leadership and stakeholder engagement
Targeted Search Strategy
Drawing upon our specialist facilities management network, we conducted a targeted search for candidates with experience managing complex estates and support services within healthcare, charitable, or similarly regulated environments.
We prioritised individuals who demonstrated:
- Strong operational facilities management experience
- Strategic estate planning capability
- Proven leadership of multi-disciplinary teams
- Excellent compliance and risk management knowledge
- Budget management expertise
- A compassionate and service-focused approach
Candidate Assessment
Candidates were assessed against both technical and cultural requirements, ensuring they possessed the facilities management capability, leadership style, and personal values needed to succeed within a hospice environment.
The Outcome
We successfully appointed an experienced Facilities Manager who met the Hospice’s operational, strategic ,and cultural requirements.
The successful candidate brought extensive experience in facilities management, team leadership, budget control, and health & safety compliance, alongside a clear understanding of the importance of maintaining safe, supportive, and dignified care environments.
They quickly integrated into the organisation and began working closely with the Chief Executive Officer and senior leadership team to support the ongoing management and development of the estate.
Results Delivered
Enhanced Facilities Management
The appointed Facilities Manager strengthened the day-to-day management of the estate, ensuring facilities services operated efficiently and consistently across the site.
Improved Compliance and Risk Management
Through robust health & safety processes, compliance monitoring, and risk management, the candidate helped maintain the standards required within a regulated healthcare environment.
Stronger Support Services
Oversight of catering, housekeeping, and facilities support functions helped ensure services continued to meet the needs of patients, staff, families, and visitors.
Strategic Estate Development
The candidate contributed to the development of a long-term site strategy, helping align the estate with the Hospice’s evolving clinical and community needs.
Team Leadership
By providing clear direction and support to multi-disciplinary teams, the Facilities Manager helped strengthen service delivery and operational accountability.
The Impact
The appointment has provided St Joseph’s Hospice with a facilities leader capable of supporting both immediate operational requirements and long-term estate development.
Key benefits delivered include:
- Improved facilities and estates operations
- Stronger health & safety and compliance performance
- Enhanced support for patient-facing services
- Effective management of catering and housekeeping functions
- Better contractor and supplier oversight
- Increased alignment between estate strategy and care delivery
This successful placement demonstrates Maxwell Stephens’ expertise in recruiting facilities management professionals for healthcare, hospice, and care-led environments where operational excellence, compliance, and compassion must work together.