Peter had a career in the army and civil service before joining the health voluntary sector as chief executive of the National Eczema Society and the Skin Care Campaign, which he ran for 10 years. He joined the BMJ’s Patient Advisory Group when it was first formed in 2003 and was appointed patient editor the following year. The role of the post is to help the BMJ’s readers to see medical matters from the patient’s perspective.

Competing Interests

Have you in the past five years accepted the following from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of papers in the BMJ?

Reimbursement for attending a symposium?
Yes: In 2004, my attendance at the European Association of Dermatologists Conference was sponsored by Leo Pharmaceuticals.

A fee for speaking?
No

A fee for organising education?
No

Funds for research?
No

Funds for a member of staff?
No

Fees for consulting?
No

Have you in the past five years been employed by any organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of papers in the BMJ?
Until March 2007, I was chief executive of the Skin Care Campaign(SCC),an organisation run by patients for patients to improve dermatology services in the UK. At that time, the SCC was wholly funded (in equal measure) by 13 pharmaceutical companies - Allergan Ltd, Astellas Pharma UK, Beiersdorf Ltd, Dermal Laboratories Ltd, Galderma (UK) Ltd, Leo Pharmaceuticals, Mölnlycke Health Care Ltd,Reckitt Benckiser, Schering-PloughLtd, Serono Limited, Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc (U. K.), Stiefel Laboratories (UK) Ltd and 3M Healthcare Limited.

Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation?
No

Do you have any other competing financial interests?
No

I have no competing interests/I have the following competing interests.
I am a patient advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin.