The chief executive of Isle of Wight charity Mountbatten has announced his retirement plan.

Nigel Hartley has announced today (Monday, October 28) that he will retire in October 2025.

Mr Hartley will stay on for a year to give the trustee board plenty of time to recruit a new chief executive and continue the work he has been doing in the post since 2015.

He said in a statement: “I will retire in October 2025 but, in the meantime, there is still much to be done, particularly the need to achieve a fairer funding agreement for hospices with the local NHS Integrated Care Board.

“I look forward to continuing to work together with everyone involved over the coming year, maintaining a critical focus on the benefits Mountbatten can bring to each and every member of our community.

“Following retirement, I intend to continue to live on the Isle of Wight and to contribute fully to the communities which Mountbatten serves.”  

Mr Hartley joined Mountbatten Isle of Wight in 2015, developing the hospice service and community engagement programme for the charity.

He has worked in hospices for almost 40 years, holding positions at London Lighthouse, Sir Michael Sobell House in Oxford and London’s St Christopher’s Hospice.

He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2023.

He said: “Working with everyone involved with Mountbatten has been the highlight of my career.

"Due to my own personal experience of looking after a friend with AIDS in the early 1980s, I have always remained driven to ensure no one coming to the end of life is ever ignored and that everyone who needs it has access to the best possible care and support."

Mountbatten will begin an external recruitment process for a new chief executive shortly.