At the end of March 2025, we said a very sad farewell to Chief Executive Liz Bishop and Director of Workforce and Organisational Development Jayne Shaw on their retirements. Between them, Liz and Jayne had served the NHS for more than 82 years, the last six of which were at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. 

Both Liz and Jayne played a huge role in making The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre what it is today and we are incredibly grateful to them. You can read just a few of their achievements at the bottom of this page.

We have also welcomed some new faces to our Trust Board following Liz and Jayne's retirements. 

Joan Spencer, Chief Executive

Joan has blonde shoulder length hairOur new Chief Executive Joan Spencer originally joined The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in 2014 as General Manager of Chemotherapy, where her achievements included leading the introduction of our pioneering Clatterbridge in the Community service - the first service nationally in which specially trained chemotherapy nurses give treatments to patients at home. 

In 2019, Joan was appointed to our Board as Interim Director of Operations in 2019. She became our Chief Operating Officer in 2022 and took on the additional post of Deputy Chief Executive in February 2024.

A cancer nurse by background, Joan worked at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in various roles, including Lead Nurse for Breast Services (1997-2010), Associate Directorate Manager (2010-11) and Directorate Manager for Surgical Services (2011-14).

Tori Young, Chief Operating Officer

Tori has blonde shoulder length hairOur new Chief Operating Officer Tori Young joined The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in February 2022 as our Director of Pharmacy and took on the additional role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer in April 2024. 

Tori has extensive leadership experience across the Cheshire and Merseyside healthcare system. After qualifying as a pharmacist and completing her pre-reg training, Tori spent 18 years at Wirral University Teaching Hospital in roles including aseptics, haematology, women’s health, medicines management and medicines safety as her career progressed into management. She was Deputy Chief Pharmacist at Warrington and Halton Hospitals until joining The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.  

As our Director of Pharmacy, Tori oversaw significant transformation of pharmacy services including increasing aseptic production, the launch of a full pharmacy logistics service and the introduction of new technology including Omnicells and VHP isolators. 

Jane Royds, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development

Jane has short brown hairOur new Director of Workforce and Organisational Development Jane Royds is a highly-experienced executive director and HR professional who has worked in the NHS for more than 30 years across primary care, mental health, community services and acute hospitals.

She has seen Chief People Officer at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital since November 2023 and will continue in that role alongside her new post at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. 

Before joining Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Jane was Director of Staff Engagement and Inclusion at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. She was previously Director of HR and Organisational Development at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital. 

Jane is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has a Masters Degree in Strategic HR.

Leaving a legacy: our thanks to Liz and Jayne

Liz has shoulder length dark blonde hair with a fringe
Liz Bishop

 

Jayne has long blonde hair with a central parting
Jayne Shaw

 

Our former Chief Executive Liz Bishop and Director of Workforce and Organisational Development Jayne Shaw joined The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre six years ago and, in that time, have helped make us what we are today.

We have grown to become a major specialist centre delivering more cancer treatments each year than almost any other hospital in England. Our unique network of Clatterbridge centres and clinics means patients can have their cancer treatment close to home, or even in their home or workplace.

Under Liz and Jayne's leadership in the last six years, we have:

  • Opened our flagship, 11-storey hospital (CCC-Liverpool) in 2020 on time and on budget, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic
  • Improved cancer survival rates and patient experience
  • Become a leading centre for cancer vaccine research, including first-in-human clinical trials
  • Consistently been rated as one of the top hospitals in England for inpatient care 
  • Achieved some of the highest scores nationally in the annual NHS staff survey and seen year-on-year improvements 
  • Reduced the gap in cancer outcomes for patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds
  • Developed important new research partnerships and opened our early phase trials unit
  • Established the UK's only fully integrated 7-day MSCC service, a model that has now shaped the new NICE guidance
  • Stepped outside a traditional 'cancer hospital' role by opening Paddington Community Diagnostics Centre
  • Hosted Cheshire and Merseyside Diagnostics Programme
  • Hosted Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance
  • Begun providing CAR-T therapy, a very specialist type of immunotherapy 

We will miss Liz and Jayne enormously and couldn't let them leave without a special Clatterbridge farewell. We hope they enjoy long and happy retirements.