HEREFORDSHIRE'S St Michael's Hospice has appointed Nicky West as chief executive.

Unlike her predecessor, Nicky is from a nursing background and was one of the first nurses in the country to gain a diploma in palliative care.

She comes to Herefordshire from Sussex, where she has been nursing director of two hospices looking after adults and children.

"When I joined St Barnabas in Sussex eight years ago, I was leader of the community team and eventually became the director of nursing. It was interesting working with both children and adults because the type of care is quite different.

"I qualified at Guys Hospital in London and worked in cardiology, oncology, neuro-science and intensive care so there were strong links with palliative care," said Nicky, aged 47.

She said the profile of caring for the terminally ill was higher than it had been but was not at the top of the priority list for resources, so there was an ongoing cause to fight.

"However, my understanding is that we have a good relationship with our Primary Care Trust and this is something I want to build upon."Nicky believes there remain perceptions about hospice care that need to be challenged.

"There is an idea that people come into a hospice to die but in many cases that is not what happens. Our job is to give people who are terminally ill the best possible quality of life and symptom control.

"People also generally associate terminal illness with cancer but we have a significant proportion of patients with other conditions such as motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and certain heart conditions."

Nicky said the sparse population in Herefordshire meant it was important to work closely with GPs and Macmillan Nurses, who served patients living in the community.

Having just started as chief executive, Nicky wants time to look at things before making too many comments about how she sees the future and her hopes and plans for St Michael's.

But she is very aware that the job brings a new dimension and will involve issues other than nursing and care.

"A key part of this job will be to ensure that we can raise the money we need to be sustainable and to continue to provide high quality care to Herefordshire."

Nicky has spent most of her life living in the south of England and so describes moving to Hereford as: "something of an act of faith".

She is married to Garry and has two teenage children.