Mr Neil Hapgood IMH, Health

I teach across the Health portfolio and also oversee the workplace practice and continuing professional development aspects of the programme.

I have a fairly eclectic professional background, as all great careers do it began with a paper round! My early career was spent teaching watersports before moving into management in this sector and running watersports centres overseas. 

I also spent several seasons running chalets in the French Alps.  After setting up a watersports centre in New Zealand I moved back to the UK and took a change of path into local authority, I still work for the local authority now as a team leader for the Youth Service in Neath Port Talbot.

I have a particular interest in mental health. I run a website and support organisation from people that have suffered from a Brain Injury, I was inspired to do this having suffered from a brain haemorrhage and near-drowning myself and feeling the support simply wasn’t there for me during my recovery.  I also sit on the board of a charity called Platform. This is a welsh charity that turns over £7 million annually and is a mental health and social change charity. 

I now teach mainly in Health, having also covered management modules for the health portfolio and some modules for tourism as well.  My modules taught to date are as follows:

• Intercultural awareness in international tourism
• Contemporary issues in sport
• Managing people and projects
• Emerging issues in Health and Social care of young people
• Health Economics
• Mentoring, Coaching and Teamwork in Health Management
• Communication and integrated working in Nursing

My primary research interest is in the use of systems thinking to improve outcomes in complex areas of work in the 2^nd and 3^rd sectors.

I have had a lot of success in growing frontline services and increased both the capacity and take-up of a key service in Neath Port Talbot by over 400% in 3 years. 

I take a systems thinking approach in all that I do to ensure I am not sidetracked by ideology and deliver outcomes.

I have also had success in managing and developing both paid staff and volunteers.  In 2010 my staff nominated me for the ITV feel-good factor award which I won and attended the Pride of Britain Awards to receive the accolade. 

In my work on a board for a large and leading charity I am a challenging board member who is always looking to hold the organisation to account for meeting their strategic goals., whilst also giving input and support and learning a lot from the experience myself.

I have undertaken consultancy work in systems thinking for 3^rd sector organisations.