Sharon Allen

Who Sharon Allen is

Sharon Allen OBE is Chief Executive of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, a Cambridge-based charity supporting people across Cambridgeshire living with life-limiting illness and those needing end-of-life care, a post she has held since April 2019. A qualified social worker, she holds an MBA from the University of Bradford (2002) and was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to homeless people, social care and housing. She joined the charity from Skills for Care, where she was CEO from 2010 to 2019, having previously been CEO of St Anne's Community Services, a large social care and supported housing organisation. She has over thirty years of experience in public service provision in social care and supported housing, predominantly in the charity sector. She is publicly known for championing hospice funding sustainability, having spoken out extensively about the impact of NHS funding cuts on community-based palliative care, and for arguing that hospices — not overstretched hospitals — should be properly supported to provide end-of-life care. She also serves as a board member of both Age UK and Hospice UK.

References for this biography

1. 1.Sharon Allen OBE – Arthur Rank Hospice Charity team page — Current role, start date, qualifications, OBE, career history at Skills for Care and St Anne's Community Services, board memberships
2. 2.Sharon Allen OBE | Nuffield Trust — Confirms current role as Chief Executive of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity since April 2019, and OBE for services to homeless people, social care and housing
3. 3.Skills for Care chief executive Sharon Allen to leave role after nine years – Community Care — Career history at Skills for Care (CEO 2010–2019) and St Anne's Community Services; OBE 2015
4. 4.End-of-life charity faces cuts of more than £800,000 – Third Sector — Sharon Allen's public statements on hospice NHS funding cuts; total charity income of £13m (year to March 2024); the £829,000 CUH funding withdrawal
5. 5.Early Day Motion: Protecting palliative care at Arthur Rank Hospice – UK Parliament — Parliamentary recognition of Sharon Allen's leadership and the hospice funding crisis campaign
6. 6.Arthur Rank Hospice Charity – Companies House — Organisation registered address and postcode: CB22 3FB, Cambridge
7. 7.Skills For Care CEO Sharon Allen Awarded An OBE – The Carer — OBE awarded June 2015 for services to social care, homeless people and housing; career background

Notable achievements

• Awarded an OBE in June 2015 for services to social care, homeless people and housing, while CEO of Skills for Care. Source ↗
• Led Skills for Care as CEO for nine years (2010–2019), helping put workforce development issues at the heart of the adult social care agenda. Source ↗
• Publicly campaigned against a £829,000 NHS funding cut to Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, prompting an Early Day Motion in Parliament and a petition gaining over 4,000 signatures in 24 hours. Source ↗

What Sharon Allen has said

• “Essentially, this now means that over 200 people a year will no longer have the option of being cared for in the comfort of our hospice and instead will sadly be dying in a busy hospital.”

  CEO of Arthur Rank Hospice · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · As a palliative care specialist, I’ve witnessed the human tragedy of our end-of-life care crisis | Rachel Clarke ↗

Recent social activity

• Thank you to the BBC for sharing our very difficult position that we are losing a lot of money meaning we are going to have to reduce services. https://t.co/eaodY1aybd - please share and help us raise the money we need to continue https://t.co/r6R28nv9dy

  x.com ↗

• Thank you for sharing @ArthurRankHouse #TrusteeVacancies please see details below and get in touch if you'd like to know more & want to join us @Antincam @juliacurtis33 @neiltween @hospiceuk

  x.com ↗

Where Sharon Allen has been quoted

1. Mum had faith Arthur Rank Hospice near Cambridge could save bedsbbc.com · 30 Sept 2026
2. As a palliative care specialist, I’ve witnessed the human tragedy of our end-of-life care crisis | Rachel Clarketheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Canada Makes It Harder to Die, but There’s a CatchThe Free Press
• 'Terminal prostate cancer has taught me one lesson I want to pass on'BBC
• Out now: the Global Atlas of Palliative Care, 3rd editioneHospice

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.arhc.org.uk/team/detail/sharon-allen/
• Xhttps://twitter.com/sharonallenarhc

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.