The APPG Maternity benefits from a great deal of parliamentary support and a wealth of experience drawn from numerous fields of expertise. The leadership is provided by a small group of dedicated parliamentarians who donate their time and attention to improving maternity services for all.
Executive Committee of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity
Chair
Dr Daniel Poulter MP
Dr Daniel Poulter was elected MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich in May 2010, having previously worked as an NHS hospital doctor specialising primarily in obstetrics, gynaecology and women's health. Dr Poulter continues to practise medicine as an NHS hosiptal doctor on an occasional basis in order to keep in touch with the problems and concerns of the people of Suffolk. He also has a law degree from Bristol University. Dr Poulter has served on healthcare improvement committees and gives of his free time to support both local and national charities. He has previously helped to set up medical and lifestyle advice clinics for the homeless and people with drug and alcohol misuse problems. He is also a strong supporter of Help for Heroes, and this year ran in the Kesgrave Fun Run to help raise money for St Elizabeth's Hospice in Ipswich.
Vice-Chairs
Lord Patel
Lord Narendra Babubhai Pateli is a doctor of medicine specialising in obstetrics. Prior to entering Parliament as a life Peer in 1999, Lord Patel worked for more than 30 years at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital and Medical School. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Chairman of the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, Quality Improvement Scotland. He was Vice President of FIGO, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. He has also held the positions of Chairman of the National Health Quality Improvement Scotland, Member of the Council of the General Medical Council, member of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Chairman of the Genetic Advisory Committee of the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Lord Patel lists his clinical and academic interests as; high risk obstetrics, premature labour, foetal growth, retardation, obstetric epidemiology and quality of the standards of health and clinical provision.
Baroness Cumberlege
Baroness Julia Cumberlege comes from a medical family and after a period in Local Government, she was appointed to chair the Brighton Health Authority and subsequently the South West Thames Regional Health Authority. In 1992 Julia was appointed a Junior Health Minister and for five years covered all health and social services matters in the House of Lords. Julia is a Trustee of Cancer Research UK, Leeds Castle in Kent and Chailey Heritage School. She is a Senior Associate of the King’s Fund, and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners. Baroness Cumberlege is involved in a number of charities and is Patron of the National Childbirth Trust.
Karen Bradley MP
Mother of two, Karen Bradley was elected to Parliament for the first time in 2010. Upon entering Parliament she was elected to sit on the Work and Pensions Committee. A relative latecomer to politics, she became involved in campaigning for the Conservatives after she was seconded by her employer at the time, KPMG, to work as a technical adviser to the Shadow Treasury Team led by Michael Howard. Prior to the 2005 General Election, she worked in the Conservative Policy Unit helping to develop economic and fiscal policies. Originally from the Moorlands, she grew up in a pub in Buxton and attended the local comprehensive before going to Imperial College London to complete a BSc Hons in Mathematics.
Secretary
Katy Clark MP
Katy Clark became a Member of Parliament in 2005. After qualifying as a solicitor Katy worked in private practice until 1998 in Edinburgh and Musselburgh. Following that she became a legal officer with health service union UNISON and worked with them until she was elected as an MP for North Ayrshire and Arran in 2005. She has campaigned on a wide range of issues since entering Parliament particularly on subjects related to employment rights, equality and human rights. She has recently campaigned for Child Trust Funds and Tax Benefits. She is a member of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, the Procedure Committee and the European Scrutiny Committee. The seat of North Ayrshire and Arran was created in the 2005 General Election, and although a new seat it mostly reflects the old constituency of Cunninghame North. Katy was re-elected in the seat at the General Election on May 6, 2010.
Treasurer
Annette Brooke MP
Annette Brooke was the Liberal Democrat Children, Young People and Families Spokesperson up until the general election of May 2010. Ms Brooke was first elected to Parliament in 2001 for Mid Dorset and North Poole. Educated at the LSE and Cambridge University, she initially chose a career in education before leaving to run a family-owned business. Ms Brooke played a central role in local Liberal Democrat politics before becoming an MP. She is currently the Chair of the All-Party-Parliamentary-Group on Sure Start. She has two adult daughters and a grand-daughter.