Commissioners

Charity Director of Age UK. A social scientist and barrister, Caroline has spent her career in the voluntary and public sectors, mostly on children and families’ issues. She has worked in a senior capacity at the children’s charity, Action For Children and at the Local Government Association. Caroline has also been a policy adviser to Ministers and Shadow Ministers, and a senior civil servant. A former chair of the End Child Poverty campaign, Caroline’s policy interests include integrated health and care, family policy, poverty and the role of the voluntary sector. Caroline oversees Age UK’s influencing work.

Jane, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, is an independent crossbench peer. She is a leading disability rights campaigner and has a distinguished career, furthering equality and human rights.

Jane graduated from Sussex University in 1982 and went on to have a successful career in Local Government and the 3rd sector before taking up a portfolio of NGO board positions. She was the founding Chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, Commissioner on the Disability Rights Commission and Equality and Human Rights Commission before becoming a life Peer in 2007.

Jane’s voluntary work includes trustee of Civil Liberties Trust, The Scott Morgan Foundation, Thames Inclusive River Boat project and President of PHAB.

Chief Executive, Together for Short Lives.

Nick took up the role as chief executive in 2024, after having been a senior leader at Together for Short Lives since 2019.

Prior to his role as chief executive, Nick led on our fundraising strategy and National Fundraising Scheme as Director of Fundraising, which supports the children’s hospice sector across the UK. He played a pivotal role in securing and delivering our incredible partnership with Morrisons, which raised over £10.7 million to support children’s hospices, help families of seriously children make precious memories together and enable Together for Short Lives to provide lifeline support.

Sarah was appointed as Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Royal Trinity Hospice and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London in 1998. She is an honorary consultant at Royal Hospital Chelsea (for the Chelsea Pensioners). She is Lead Medical Examiner at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Her clinical work is now focused in the acute hospital setting. She has a special interest in palliative care of non-malignant conditions including people living with HIV and patients on ICU. She has held leadership roles locally and regionally and is currently serving as President of the Association for Palliative Medicine of GB and Ireland. 

Former Health Minister. NHS Consultant Surgeon.

Prof the Lord Darzi of Denham holds the Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London, the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. He is Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and Chair of Imperial College Health Partners. He is an Honorary Consultant Surgeon at Imperial College Hospital NHS Trust.

He was knighted for his services in medicine and surgery in 2002. In 2007, he was introduced to the House of Lords and appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health.

Professor of Palliative Medicine. Baroness Finlay of Llandaff is a practising consultant at Velindre Cancer Hospital, Cardiff, and Professor of Palliative Medicine at Cardiff University, where she was Vice-Dean of the School of Medicine until 2005. She was Welsh Woman of the Year 1996-97 and was created a Life Peer in 2001. From 2006 to 2008 she was President of the Royal Society of Medicine. In Parliament she chaired the Select Committee on Allergies in 2007 and has been active in a range of other health-related issues.

Stephanie Fraser is Chief Executive of Cerebral Palsy Scotland. She is Chair of the Scottish Government’s National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions and was a Trustee of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland for over 10 years.  
Stephanie sits on the board of two Public Bodies; Creative Scotland, the national funding agency for arts, film and creative industries and the British Library. A member of the House of Lords, she speaks regularly on issues that affect people with disabilities. She is currently a member of the Select Committee on International Relations and Defence. She has previously sat on the Communications and Digital, Covid 19 and the Adult Social Care Committees.

Clare is a Registered Nurse with 30 years’ experience in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EoLC). She has worked in hospices, the community, and acute sectors as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, and nationally as a Consultant Nurse for the Gold Standards Framework and a Specialist Advisor for the CQC.

Clare founded Speak for Me which helps organisations to improve EoLC and provides professional and public education about Palliative and EoLC and Advance Care Planning. A passionate advocate for proactive Advance Care Planning, Clare hosts the popular podcast Conversations about Advance Care Planning and practices as a Lasting Power of Attorney Consultant.

Martin has had an extensive career in NGO development, both in the UK and internationally, and is Chief Executive of Care England, the largest representative body for independent social care services in the UK. He is a Trustee of the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH), Vice President of The Care Workers Charity, Champion of The National Aids Trust and Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. In 2013 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Social Care to Buckinghamshire New University. In 2012, in his role as Department of Health and Social Care Independent Sector Dementia Champion, he led the development of the Dementia Care and Support Compact for The Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia.

Professor Irene Higginson is currently Professor of Palliative Care and Policy and Director of Better Health and Care Futures at King’s College London.

She is a clinical academic, active in research, education and clinical palliative care and is trained and accredited in both Public Health and in Palliative Medicine. Based at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London - the world’s first purpose-built Institute of palliative care, integrating research, education, clinical services, support and information – Professor Higginson is also the Scientific Director of Cicely Saunders International (a charity) and an NIHR Senior Investigator (emeritus).

Sarah was appointed Chief Medical Officer of Marie Curie in April 2023 and continues to undertake some clinical work at our Bradford hospice.

Sarah originally joined Marie Curie in 2001 working at the Edinburgh hospice as a junior doctor, having initially pursued a career in General Practice. The experience working in Edinburgh inspired her to retrain in palliative medicine, and she became Consultant in Palliative Medicine and Medical Director of Marie Curie Hospice, Bradford in 2007. In July 2020, Sarah became UK Medical Director for Marie Curie, and combined this role with her ongoing clinical work in the hospice in Bradford.

Chris was appointed as Consultant in Neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in 2006 where he co-leads the motor neurone disease service.  He is Professor of Translational Neurology at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience within the University of Sheffield. He leads a research programme developing the evidence base for improving care and treatments for people living with motor neurone disease. He holds several national leadership roles including co-director of the UK MND research Institute.