The new health influencers
Every intake of MPs leaves its mark and, when it comes to health, the class of 2015 will be no different.
The new intake will bring a range of expertise and perspectives to health and care issues.
Here is our first look at some of the newly elected MPs who will help define the debate on the NHS
over the next five years.
PATIENT ADVOCATES
CONSERVATIVE
Nusrat Ghani, Wealden
Nusrat (‘Nus’) won the Wealden seat for the Conservatives, taking over from
Charles Hendry. She joins Sarah Woolaston MP as a Conservative selected
following an open primary. Nus left an investment-banking career in London to
take up Policy Manager roles at Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Age UK. She
also acted as sectretariat to the APPG on Breast Cancer. Expect her to speak out
on health inequalities and ‘ageism’ in health services.
CONSERVATIVE
Flick Drummond, Portsmouth South
Flick has taken the Portsmouth South seat for the Conservatives, securing an
important gain from the Liberal Democrats. She has worked as an insurance
broker, member of the TA Intelligence Corps and a city councillor. Her experience
with health comes from her former role as a board member of Healthwatch –
the consumer’s watchdog on the NHS, following her nine-year tenure with the
Community Health Council, in its previous incarnation. Having lived in both
Australia and the United States, Flick believes that we are “incredibly lucky” to
have a free health service.
LABOUR
Jess Phillips, Birmingham Yardley
Jess took Birmingham Yardley from Liberal Democrat MP, John Hemming. She
previously worked as the Business Development Manager of Sandwell Women’s
Aid and has been a councillor for the past year. Prior to this, she was a Project
Manager with Health Links, organising events for the health and social care
sector, with clients including the Department of Health, NICE and the NHS
Alliance. Her experience in the charity sector also includes working with older
people, as a carer for people with Alzheimer’s and offering respite care to
families of those with cancer. Expect her to speak out about the needs of carers.
CONSERVATIVE
Jo Churchill, Bury St Edmunds
Jo succeeds David Ruffley, who originally won the Bury St Edmunds seat for the
Conservatives in 1997 and stood down this year. Jo has personal experience of
the services and support available to cancer patients, having been diagnosed
with thyroid cancer at 31 and breast cancer at 46. This experience led her to
become heavily involved with the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, and calling
for improved cancer outcomes. As a councillor for Lincolnshire, she also sat on
the health and wellbeing board. Expect her to speak out about the quality of
cancer care.
CONSERVATIVE
Victoria Prentis, Banbury
A civil service lawyer for 17 years, Victoria was in charge of the government’s
Justice and Security team until November 2014, when she was selected as the
Conservative Party candidate for Banbury. She succeeds Tony Baldry, who stepped
down this year, having held the Banbury seat since 1983. She founded and has
co-chaired the Benefactors’ Board for the Oxford Children’s Hospital Trust for
nine years, raising money for children’s services and has also been involved with
Leonard Cheshire and NorPIP, a charity that provides support to new parents who
are struggling to form secure attachment with their babies. Expect her to have a
strong voice on children’s health issues.
HEALTH SERVICE MANAGERS
LABOUR
Karin Smyth, Bristol South
Karin succeeds Dawn Primarolo as the Labour MP for Bristol South. She has over
15 years of NHS experience, most recently as a manager with the NHS Bristol CCG.
She was also a Non-Executive Director with the Bristol North PCT from 2002 to
2006. During her time with the PCT, Karin worked on the Bristol Health Service Plan
project to deliver the new South Bristol Community Hospital. Expect her to speak
out on the need for investment in community health services.
LABOUR
Kate Osamor, Edmonton
Kate retained Edmonton for Labour, following Andy Love’s decision to stand down.
She has over 15 years of experience working for the NHS, starting her career as
an Executive Assistant at an out-of-hours GP surgery. She worked her way up to
the position of Practice Manager, and has performed this role at two surgeries
managing and coordinating all aspects of the practice’s day-to-day business.
She also sits on the Labour National Executive Committee. Expect her to use her
experience of pressures in general practice when speaking out on health issues.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTS
CONSERVATIVE
Helen Whately, Faversham and Mid Kent
Helen has retained this safe Conservative seat, replacing Sir Hugh Robertson.
The daughter of a doctor and a surgeon, she has worked as a management
consultant at McKinsey & Co for the past eight years. In this capacity, she has
worked mainly with hospitals, but also with healthcare commissioners and
regulators. She has led several hospital transformation programmes as well as
focusing on specific services, such as community services, mental healthcare and
maternity. She has also helped to launch several online platforms that aim to give
patients information about the quality of their local healthcare services. Expect
her to speak out on health service modernisation and patient empowerment.
LABOUR
Peter Dowd, Bootle
Peter takes over from Joe Benton in this safe Labour seat. He has almost 30 years
experience in local government, and over 35 years experience in health and
social care. As a qualified social worker, Peter has worked in many local hospitals
and has a particular interest in all-age mental health services. His experience
may prove useful as Labour seek to pursue their “whole-person care” approach,
bringing more integrated care between physical, mental and social care services.
Expect him to champion greater investment in social services.
LABOUR
Richard Burgon, Leeds East
Richard has retained the Leeds East seat for Labour following George Mudie’s
decision to stand down. With a strong political background (his uncle is former
Labour MP Colin Burgon), he is expected to use his experience as a trade union
lawyer representing care workers and nurses (amongst others) to make the case
for improved terms and conditions for health service workers.
DOCTORS
SNP
Dr Lisa Cameron, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
Lisa is part of the SNP landslide, overturning Labour’s Michael McCann’s 28.5%
majority. Lisa studied psychology at university, before gaining her doctorate in
clinical practice. She has most recently been working as a local doctor in mental
health services. She was also elected to the Health Sector Committee and
Scottish Terms and Conditions Group, who work with the Scottish Government to
create policies and terms and conditions for healthcare staff. Expect her to be an
important voice if and when the SNP seeks to influence English health policy as a
means to promoting its policy objectives north of the border.
CONSERVATIVE
Dr Tania Mathias, Twickenham
Tania took the seemingly safe seat of Twickenham from Vince Cable in one of
the biggest blows to the Liberal Democrats of Election night. After graduating
in medicine, she worked as a refugee worker in the Gaza Strip and treated HIV,
AIDS and TB patients in Africa. She also worked with leprosy patients in North
Bihar, India and South China. An ophthalmologist by speciality, she worked in
Kingston Hospital but after becoming a local councillor “chose to work further
away so I didn’t treat anyone I might be meeting as a councillor”. Expect her to
be a candidate for the Health Select Committee and to bring an international
dimension to health issues in Parliament.
SNP
Dr Philippa Whitford, Ayrshire Central
Philippa un-seated Labour’s Brian Donohoe to take the Ayrshire Central
constituency for the SNP. Now a consultant breast surgeon, Philippa studied
medicine at Glasgow University, where she then carried out her residencies. She
began her surgical training in 1983 in Belfast, returning to the west of Scotland for
completion. She then served as a medical volunteer in a UN hospital in Gaza and
also undertook a project for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians in Southern
Lebanon. Returning to Aberdeen, Philippa was “shocked” at the purchaser/
provider split between GPs and hospital trusts. Expect her to be a strong voice in
Parliament opposing market-oriented policies in the NHS.
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