Katharine was a remarkable, very able lady who served her community in so many ways. In November 1999 she joined the board of what was then Hope hospital as a Non-Executive Director, and she served on the board until June 2009, helping guide the hospital into gaining its Foundation status in 2005 and beyond. She took on the role of Senior Independent Director for the new Foundation Trust and helped to write the Corporate Governance Framework manual which is at the heart of honest, fair, open and accountable ways of working applicable to all large organisations.
These same attributes reflected her approach to life in general. Coupled with her attention to detail, her thoughtfulness, generous spirit and of course her lovely smile, it made working with Katharine a real pleasure. Many times I have seen complex papers presented at a meeting then witnessed Katharine quietly but firmly getting to the nub of the matter with just a few questions and of course that raised eyebrow!
She also went out into the community to talk with local groups and help explain what was happening to their hospital. This was always done graciously and in a way that made people she spoke to feel included and important. She was dedicated to ensuring that our patients received a high standard of care and her work in information governance and infection control helped to ensure those levels of excellence continued.
Katharine maintained her interest in how Salford Royal was progressing long after she had retired from the board. Even in the final weeks of her life she was questioning how things were and what was happening within the Trust. Her humility, intelligence, perceptiveness and generous spirit are greatly missed but my privilege was to have worked with her and seen these gifts in action.
James Leggate