I have been a medical scientist/lecturer (as an immunologist) for most of my working life, though latterly had the great privilege of serving as the MP for the Bristol North West Constituency for 13 years.
I was a Labour Party/Co-op Party Councillor on Bristol City Council for two spells, one of 17 years and later 4 years after retiring from Parliament in 2010. On the Council I served mainly on Resources Committees although I was for a while Chair of Health and Environmental Services and was a member of Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny.
In Parliament I was mainly involved with Health and Sciences policies – I chaired (or jointly chaired) the Labour Party back-bench Health policy committee for virtually all of my time in Parliament, served on the Health Select Committee for 8 years, on the Science and Technology Select Committee for a shorter time as well as having spells on the Social Security Committee and 4 years representing the Labour Party on the Council of Europe. I also participated in many back-bench groups with health implications including Chairing the influential Parliamentary and Scientific Committee which was the first back-bench group ever – founded in 1939!
I first joined the Labour Party as a teenager (more than 50 years ago), and I have been a member of the SHA for at least 40 years – and had two spells as Chair of the Association (although the post was designated as President then, a title kept for more prestigious members nowadays).
The reason I am standing again is because I believe the SHA can have a profound and important effect on Health Politics in this country now. We have a huge array of talents amongst our members: GPs, Consultants, professors, local and national politicians, members of virtually all the health-related professions, public servants both local and national, and thoughtful and active members who have been and are patients. We must unite to try and influence policies to protect our NHS. I believe that together with our friends in the other Socialist Societies, and members of the SHA who are active in the Labour Party Policy Forums we must keep our NHS based on universal healthcare meeting patients’ needs free at the point of use, funded by taxation. This must include repeal of the Health and Social Care Act, a commitment to downgrade the importance of purchaser and provider separation, and movement towards integration of health and social services.
As far as ‘influences’ are concerned, as well as already mentioned, I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Fellow of the Society of Biology, and a Retired member of the Association of University Teachers.