Meet our Senior Management Team

Meet our Senior Management Team

The Senior Management Team at Willow Burn Hospice is responsible for the day-to-day management of the charity and for implementing the hospice's strategy as agreed by the Board of Trustees.

The Senior Management Team is headed up by David Barker, the Director of Willow Burn and he is supported by a Head of Clinical Services, Head of Finance,  Head of Marketing & Fundraising and Office Manager.

David Barker MBE MBA - Director
As Director of Willow Burn Hospice, David's role is to give leadership to the teams of staff and volunteers, drive financial sustainability and be responsible for the effective operational management of the hospice and best practice throughout.  

David’s previous roles include senior leadership of Springboard, United Response, Disability North and Percy Hedley Foundation. He is a former Vice Chair of Voluntary Organisation Network North East (VONNE) and a current Trustee and cofounder of Difference, a north east disability rights charity.

He is a graduate of The Open University with a BSc in Social Sciences and Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA). In 2000 David was awarded an MBE for services to the employment of disabled people.

Carol Hagri - Head of Clinical Services
Carol is the Head of Clinical Services and registered manager for the in-patient, day care and counselling services at Willow Burn. Her role is to provide leadership and management to all clinical staff, take overall clinical responsibility of the Hospice and ensure the highest standard of palliative care is delivered to patients, families and carers.

With over 35 years of experience in nursing Carol has worked in a wide-range of clinical settings, from care homes, to community midwifery.

Born and bred in Derwentside, Willow Burn is very close to Carol's heart and she is well known in the community from her days as a community midwife.   

Rachel Quince - Head of Fundraising and Marketing
Rachel has worked in health and social care for over 14 years and is passionate about helping people to find the services they need at a time when they need them the most. After eight years of marketing management in the private care sector, she joined the charitable sector to head up the income generation and marketing teams at Age UK Northumberland and now Willow Burn Hospice.

As Head of Fundraising and Marketing Rachel oversees and develops all of the marketing and income streams at Willow Burn and helps individuals, communities and businesses to make a difference in County Durham.

Angela Watson - Head of Finance
After 20 years of experience in the private sector providing auditing and accounting services to organisations varying in size from sole traders to limited companies, Angela was keen to make a move to the charitable sector and has now been with Willow Burn for over 3 years. Recently moving up from Finance Manager to the role of Head of Finance she takes great satisfaction knowing the work that everyone does at the hospice has such a beneficial impact on the local community.

 Angela is responsible for the overall management of the finance function at Willow Burn. Her role is to support the Board of Trustees, the Director and the Senior Management team by supplying them with timely and appropriate financial information and financial risk management.

Julie Crisp - Head of Facilities and Administration
Julie joined Willow Burn in December 2019 and is a vital part of the hospice operations. As well as managing all of the administration at the hospice, she also oversees the management of the facilities at the hospice. Julie has worked in the health and social care private sector for over 20 years in various roles and is pleased she can put her skills to use and help those that need it during a hard time in their lives.