The new chief executive of St Francis Hospice has vowed to seize every fundraising opportunity available when she starts next month.

Pam Court, 56, who has worked for the NHS for 35 years, will leave her job as chief executive of South West Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) in May to take on the role as the hospice’s first chief executive in its 27-year-history.

Mrs Court, originally from Newcastle, started her career as an occupational therapist in Oxford.

She worked her way up to become a manager at Whipps Cross Hospital, in Leytonstone, before becoming a therapy services manager for Waltham Forest.

In the 1990s she helped set up Woodford, Wanstead and Chingford Primary Care Trust, before more recently taking over as chief executive of the South West Essex PCT.

She added that the hospice was employing a chief executive for the first time to head strategies for the future and look for funding opportunities nationally and Europe-wide.

She said: “It is becoming tighter, harder and more competitive to raise money.

“The NHS is having a lot of reforms like abolishing the PCTs and the money is going to groups of GPs. This will be challenging for the hospices.”

The mother-of-two, who currently lives in Epping, said: “I will be looking for opportunities and meeting as many people as I can to make sure we have seized all the fundraising opportunities and strategies that we can.

“I plan to talk to businesses and banks to get as much support from the community as possible.”

Hospice chairman Dr Robert Weatherstone, said: “Our hospice has celebrated nearly 27 fantastic years and a chief executive will provide the strategic vision and leadership to ensure the long-term future of the hospice for local patients and their families.”