Dr Alexander McNeil

Dr Alexander McNeil is a Consultant Paediatrician and expert witness at NHS Borders, where he also serves as Clinical Director for Child Health Services. He has been a Consultant Paediatrician since 2021 following completion of his specialist training and continues to provide comprehensive paediatric care across both hospital and community settings.

His principal areas of clinical expertise include paediatric epilepsy, general and community paediatrics, developmental paediatrics and neurodisability. He has extensive experience caring for infants, children and adolescents with a broad range of acute and chronic medical conditions, with particular expertise in the diagnosis and long-term management of epilepsy and complex neurodevelopmental disorders. His clinical practice also encompasses safeguarding, child protection, neonatal care and the assessment and management of children with complex healthcare needs, autism and developmental concerns.

Alongside his specialist clinical work, Dr McNeil has significant experience managing vulnerable children, including those involved in safeguarding processes, care-experienced children and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. His leadership role as Clinical Director reflects his commitment to delivering high-quality child health services, supporting multidisciplinary teams and driving service improvement across the organisation. Combining broad general paediatric expertise with recognised specialist interests in epilepsy and child health, Dr McNeil provides balanced, evidence-based clinical assessments for children and young people with a wide variety of medical, developmental and neurological conditions.

Dr Alexander McNeil has undertaken medico-legal work since 2025, providing independent expert opinion in clinical negligence, personal injury and family proceedings involving children and young people up to the age of 18. His practice focuses on paediatric conditions encountered within both general and specialist paediatrics, with particular expertise in epilepsy alongside broader developmental, neurodisability and safeguarding-related issues. He is instructed to prepare screening, breach of duty, causation, and condition and prognosis reports, assisting solicitors in evaluating the standard of care provided, the causes and consequences of injury or illness, and the likely long-term outlook for paediatric claimants. His clinical experience across acute, community and specialist paediatric services enables him to deliver clear, balanced and evidence-based opinions on complex cases involving children with a wide range of medical and developmental needs.

Dr McNeil's clinical practice centres on the assessment, diagnosis and long-term management of infants, children and adolescents with a wide range of acute, chronic and complex paediatric conditions. A significant proportion of his work involves caring for children with epilepsy, including the investigation of seizure disorders, optimisation of treatment and ongoing management of neurological conditions requiring multidisciplinary input. He also manages children with developmental disorders, neurodisability, autism and other complex healthcare needs, providing coordinated care across hospital and community settings.

His day-to-day clinical work also includes acute paediatric inpatient and assessment care, together with work in a Special Care Baby Unit. Dr McNeil has particular expertise in safeguarding and child protection, undertaking comprehensive assessments of vulnerable children and supporting those with complex social and healthcare needs, including care-experienced children and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. His clinical work requires careful assessment, evidence-based decision making and close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to deliver holistic care tailored to the individual needs of each child and their family.

Dr McNeil has previously contributed to undergraduate and postgraduate medical education through former appointments as an Honorary Lecturer at Hull York Medical School and Associate Simulation Fellow. He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education, reflecting his ongoing commitment to clinical teaching and the development of future healthcare professionals.