"An Appointment with the Doctor" about

National Health Issues

I am working in London to promote patient safety issues within the NHS

• to speed up the availability of the electronic summary care record

• to make available a single-point-of-contact telephone number fore patients and families who - out-of-hours - are worried about symptoms that perhaps do not justify a '999' call .. but which they require help to cope with

• provide support for "whistle-blowers" who raise concerns about patient safety

At a large meeting in the House of Commons on "End Of Life Care" on 15th December, after I had asked a question, Patricia Hewitt, a previous Health Secretary with whom I had 'crossed swords' when she was in office, followed me with a huge compliment; referring to me as ..
    "Dr. Taylor .. the MP for Kidderminster who never gives up .." 

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So, in that light, I am delighted to announce that I have been successful in the ballot for a Private Member’s Bill. 

Mine is number eleven on the chosen list so, being realistic, it has little chance of being debated but it does give me a chance to gain publicity for a specific issue. 

After much thought I have chosen to raise the predicament of NHS staff who have blown the whistle about unsafe services and are now being pilloried for their action - and of those who have not known how to raise concerns or been too frightened to do so. 

I have come up against conventions of the House and not been allowed to call it the “NHS Whistleblowers’ Support Bill” as I had intended but the acceptable title will be the “NHS Public Interest Disclosure Support Bill”. 

The Second Reading is due on 12 March but there are pitfalls before then and I shall report further in due course.

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