Jon Barrick, Chief Executive

Jon Barrick took up the position of Chief Executive at The Stroke Association in April 2004.

He is Co-Chairman of the Neurological Alliance, which has a membership of nearly 60 charities, and a Trustee of the Association of Medical Research Charities, with a membership of over 150 charities researching medical conditions.

Jon is also Secretary of the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE), the organising coalition of nearly 20 stroke patient based organisations operating within European countries.

He is also a member of the DH Stroke Strategy Steering group, the Intercollegiate Working party on Stroke, and the British Association of Physicians committee on Service development and quality.

As Chief Executive, Jon is responsible for ensuring that The Stroke Association progresses its mission to prevent strokes, and reduce their effect by through services, campaigning, education and research.

The Stroke Association provides over 220 NHS funded projects on the ground to stroke survivors and their families, and has over 420 affiliated stroke clubs throughout the country. For the last 10 years The Stroke Association has funded the majority of research into stroke in the UK.

In 2005 the Medical Journalists Association named The Stroke Association Medical Charity of the Year. In 2006 The Stroke Association was named best healthcare and medical research charity in the UK, and was also shortlisted into the top six for all three categories of Britain’s most admired charity.
 
Jon is working hard with stroke survivors across the UK to make The Stroke Association an even broader, more diverse organisation with initiatives to improve the involvement of stroke survivors and their families in significant areas of the Association’s work.

Prior to this post, Jon was Director of Community Services for the Royal National Institute of the Blind, responsible for Health, Social Care, welfare rights, and other well being services. He has written many articles including co-authoring a book on disability access issues, “Building Sight”. At RNIB Jon developed expertise in organising international activity. He was Chairman of the World Blind Union Committee on Blindness and Older People and organised many international gatherings and conferences. His 15 years at RNIB built on previous experiences in local, central government and the private sector.

"Since becoming Chief Executive, I have felt privileged to be part of a team that delivers so much service in so many ways to so many people. However, we still have much to do in getting people to understand that stroke is the third biggest killer and a leading cause of severe adult disability across the UK, and that more needs to be done in prevention, treatment, support and caring."