Our Dedicated Trustees

Amy Crichton is a dementia care specialist and co-founder of Namaste Care Education and Resources (NEAR). She is recognised for her expertise in implementing and sustaining the Namaste Care model in care homes and for supporting both staff and families to embed compassionate, person-centred practice.

Amy holds an MSc in Dementia Studies and has extensive experience across both the UK and Australian care systems. She previously spent 12 years as a practice manager in dental and maxillofacial services, experience that brings strong leadership, operational insight, and team development skills to her work in dementia care.

Through NEAR, Amy collaborates with care providers across the UK to embed sustainable Namaste Care and to advocate for people living with advanced dementia, a group whose needs, voice, and human rights are too often overlooked.

Her work is guided by a simple belief: quality of life, dignity, and meaningful connection matter right to the end of life.

Min Stacpoole is a palliative care nurse with extensive experience supporting people with dementia at the end of life. She has worked as a lecturer at St Christopher’s Hospice and as a nurse researcher, and has been teaching Namaste Care for over 10 years to care homes and other organisations across the UK, more recently online. Min has also lectured nationally and internationally on Namaste Care.

Together with Jo Hockley, Min led the initial UK Namaste Care research study at St Christopher’s Hospice, with Jo as Principal Investigator and Min as nurse researcher. This study implemented Namaste Care in five care homes and informed the development of the Namaste Care Toolkit, a manual designed to help care homes introduce Namaste Care in practice. Both Jo and Min have published their research on Namaste Care.

Dr Jo Hockley is a Trustee of the charity NEAR (Namaste Education and Resources). She recently retired from the University of Edinburgh, where she was a Senior Research Fellow focusing on palliative care and care homes research. A nurse for over 40 years, she has specialised in palliative care and has particular expertise in palliative care within care homes. She completed her PhD on death and dying in care homes at the University of Edinburgh in 2006 and was awarded an OBE in 2013 for her contribution to palliative care nursing.

Lesley, home manager of Erskine homes, has over 30 years’ experience working in care homes.

In 2018, she was awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse for a project focused on training and sustaining Namaste Care across Erskine Care Homes. Through this work, Leslie identified two key needs: improved access to training and ongoing support to ensure Namaste Care is maintained after it is introduced into a care home.

By embedding Namaste Care in her own home, Leslie has seen clear benefits: better staff retention, increased awareness of self-care, fewer falls, and less distressed behaviour. There has also been a reduction in the use of end-of-life medication, and residents who were previously withdrawn are now more engaged.

Relatives frequently report that, when they felt nothing more could be done for their loved one, Namaste Care offered a new source of comfort and meaning, restoring their sense of purpose. These outcomes underpin Leslie’s belief that developing a sustainable programme is essential for all care home staff who complete a Namaste Care course.