When the new director of care development for Children's Hospices UK is asked about the difficult task ahead, a wide grin gives an indication of her enthusiasm for the job. "It's a huge challenge but I welcome it," she says. "I know it's an incredibly difficult time, particularly for children's hospices, but I'm not daunted by it."
Blackburn's appointment in February came almost exactly a year after the Department of Health's Better Care Better Lives report set out which services primary care trusts (PCTs) should provide children with life-threatening illnesses.
Her remit involves raising the profile of palliative care in the country, examining everything from training and safeguarding through to finance. She is producing a strategic plan that will go before a Children's Hospices UK committee next month.
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