Former chief crown prosecutor Neil Franklin has taken the reigns from community stalwart Dr Robert Ross as chair of Donisthorpe Hall. After five years of service, long-time Donisthorpe Hall supporter Dr Robert Ross has retired from his post as chair of trustees at the Shadwell Lane nursing home. The board has thanked Robert for his dedicated support and keen oversight of a programme of sustained improvement during his tenure.
“Robert took the reins at Donisthorpe at a particularly challenging time,” said incoming chairman Neil Franklin OBE. “Successive CQC reports had cast doubt on the safety of and quality of care provided to residents and he immediately set about driving much-needed and transformational changes, utilising his own vast knowledge and experience as a GP to identify what had to be done. That CQC now recognises Donisthorpe to be a safe and caring establishment is very much Robert’s legacy. Furthermore, he has put together a strong, committed team of trustees, dedicated to ensuring that Donisthorpe builds on that legacy.”
Neil has enjoyed a long career in the Crown Prosecution Service and was West Yorkshire’s chief crown prosecutor from 1999 to 2011 when he retired. Subsequently he became chair of the Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, retiring in May of 2020 after eight years. He joined the Board of Donisthorpe Hall as an advisor in 2017 and became a trustee in April 2020.
Of his new role, he continued: “I am honoured to have been asked by my fellow trustees to fill the considerable gap left by Robert Ross and, with their tremendous support will look to build on his legacy and do all I can to ensure that Donisthorpe continues to be a place where older members of the Leeds Jewish community who need residential nursing care can be confident of receiving it in a Jewish environment proximate to their families.”