A LORD at the helm of Helen & Douglas House has welcomed a 'new era' at the hospice and said the 'only way is up' in the wake of money struggles.

Ian Blair spoke to the Oxford Mail in his first press interview since becoming chair of trustees at the children's hospice, which closed its centre for young adults in June in a major step to stem expenditure.

The former head of the Metropolitan Police revealed it was 'very unlikely' Douglas House would reopen in future, with the charity reverting back to 'a centre of excellence' of hospice care for babies and children.

He was positive about the East Oxford hospice's future and hoped people could draw a line under unpopular decisions, including the refusal to reinstate the hospice's founder Sister Frances Dominica.

Lord Blair, who took up post in March, said: "We are moving forward in this new era with much to be proud of, much to be thankful for and with renewed optimism for our long-term future.

"I am confident in the team and our ambitious growth plans."

He said the hope is for services at Helen House, in Leopold Street, to expand once finances are back in order.

Lord Blair said: "We were the first [children's hospice] and that has been copied all over the world.

"Trustees are absolutely clear that, having closed Douglas House, we will grow Helen House.

"There is no prospect of it closing or reducing the offer of what we do: the only way from here is up.

"We will be concentrating on what we do best and plan to increase beds and nurses at Helen House and our outreach work."

Lord Blair said he expected to 'balance the books' by the financial year 2020-21, adding that to keep Douglas House open would have 'put the whole charity at risk'.

He said it was positive that the hospice was gaining support from Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which has not previously commissioned services from Helen & Douglas House.

Despite a petition set up to save Douglas House, which gathered 48,000 signatures, Lord Blair said Helen House is now the priority.

On Wednesday the charity's former chief executive, Tom Hill, wrote in the Oxford Mail in support of Sister Frances and criticised the 'calamitous' decision to close Douglas House.

A hospice spokeswoman said his comparison of finances was out of context, however, and he had 'misunderstood' the remit of the Care Quality Commission in stating it had no objection to Sister Frances returning.

She also objected to his assertion that the charity was 'in crisis' and that no warning was given of Douglas House closing.

Lord Blair said: "I yield to no-one in my admiration for Sister Frances in founding Helen & Douglas House - we would not be sitting here today without her - and Tom Hill was a fine chief executive as far as I know.

"But I am puzzled and sad at the apparent willingness to damage the marvellous institution they did so much to build."

Trustees asked Sister Frances to resign in 2015 over allegations of abuse unrelated to the hospice, which she strongly denies.

The Crime Prosecution Service dropped the case due to ‘insufficient evidence’, and the nun has since spoken of her wish to rejoin the hospice.

But Lord Blair said 'insufficient evidence does not mean insufficient risk' regarding safeguarding service users.

He added: "In the years since Sister Frances left, time has moved on.

"She had huge passion for the charity and spoke with great feeling about the work of the hospice and the families in our care.

"However, we should not and will not change our current arrangements in relation to her.

"What matters now is to move forward."

Lord Blair said he wanted to 'honour her legacy' by continuing to support families dealing with life-limiting illness.

He noted Catherine Worswick, sister of Helen Worswick - the little girl who inspired Sister Frances to found the hospice - became a trustee this year in 'full knowledge' of the changes.

He also said All Saints Sisters of the Poor, the convent Sister Frances is part of, which owns the hospice's estate, had been 'unbelievably supportive'.

Lord Blair has experience in improving charities' finances, but said his decision to take the role ran deeper.

He said: "I am fascinated by the sheer wonderfulness of this hospice. This [a child becoming ill] is every parent's worst nightmare and we can make that better and give them some hope.

"I believe we have the right people, strategy, partnerships and vision, and the charity will continue to evolve and thrive."