Claire joined NHS England’s (NHSE) National Learning Disability and Autism Programme in March 2020 as the National Programme Director for Autism. She is an experienced leader with over 30 years’ experience working clinically, operationally, strategically, locally and nationally across health and social care systems. She has demonstrable experience in successfully delivering complex, large-scale transformation programmes across delivery systems and organisations, re-engineering all aspects of the health system, reducing health inequalities and unwarranted variation, driving up health outcomes and quality, and improving patient experience.

Claire began her career as a critical care nurse, before progressing into A&E nursing and then resuscitation. She held several senior operational and strategic posts in the acute provider sector before transferring her skillset to establish and deliver several high-profile transformational change programmes. 

As National Programme Director for Autism, she has established an ambitious and complex autism transformation programme, building a talented and dynamic team that is starting to improve access to and quality of provision for autistic people. The programme is establishing a strong reputation and successful collaborative partnerships across government, within NHSE, with patient and carer groups and third sector organisations. The programme is a platform to accelerate the adoption, innovation and commissioning of new models of care and provision, implementing new ways of working, sharing best clinical practice and service change, resulting in significant, sustainable system-wide improvement in health outcomes for autistic people.