Neil has been Chief Executive of Asthma UK since 2007, during which time the charity has secured some of its longstanding campaign goals including quality standards, a national improvement strategy and a national inquiry into asthma deaths.
Neil learned campaigning from Iris Bentley, whose brother was wrongly hanged for murder in 1953. He joined Barnardo’s and worked on its first child poverty campaign. As Deputy Chief Executive of Crisis Neil oversaw a strategic review which saw the charity focus on learning and training. At Age Concern Neil helped secure major reforms to women’s state pensions.
He is also a Non Executive Director for the NHS, a member of the National Respiratory Programme Board and a member of the National Information Governance Board.
Neil writes opinion columns for Health Service Journal and a blog for Progress and has edited a number of health publications for the Smith Institute. He himself has asthma.