Election 2010: a candidate watchlist for the NHS

Andrew Lansley

• Conservative
• Shadow health secretary
• South Cambridgeshire
• Safe Tory seat 
• Result: Andrew Lansley holds seat

Anne Milton

• Conservative
• Shadow health minister, former nurse
• Guildford
• Very close race between Lib Dems and Tories
• Result: Anne Milton holds seat

Mark Simmonds

• Conservative
• Shadow health minister
• Boston and Skegness
• Thought likely to keep seat 
• Result: Mark Simmonds holds seat

Mike Penning

• Conservative
• Shadow health minister
• Hemel Hempstead
• Traditionally Tory 
• Result: Mike Penning holds seat

Stephen O’Brien

• Conservative
• Shadow health minister
• Eddisbury
• Thought likely to keep seat 
• Result: Stephen O’Brien holds seat

Andy Burnham

• Labour
• Health secretary
• Leigh
• Safe Labour seat 
• Result: Andy Burnham holds seat

Ann Keen

• Labour
• Health minister
• Brentford and Isleworth
• Damaged by expenses row. Lord Ashcroft-funded marginal. Lib Dems also targeting
• Result: Ann Keen loses seat to Conservatives

Gillian Merron

• Labour
• Health minister
• Lincoln
• Bellwether seat, could go to Tories 
• Result: Gillian Merron loses seat to Conservatives

Mike O’Brien

• Labour
• Health minister
• Warwickshire North
• O’Brien has held seat for 18 years. Needs 7.6 per cent swing for Tories to win  
• Result: Mike O’Brien loses seat to Conservatives

Phil Hope

• Labour
• Minister for care services
• Corby
• Close contest with controversial Cameroon Louise Bagshawe  
• Result: Phil Hope loses seat to Conservatives

Norman Lamb

• Liberal Democrat
• Shadow health spokesman
• Norfolk North
• Had majority of more than 10,000 in 2005 election 
• Result: Norman Lamb holds seat

Health committee members

Charlotte Atkins

• Labour
• Health committee
• Staffordshire Moorlands
• “Notionally Conservative seat” due to boundary changes
• Result: Charlotte Atkins loses seat to Conservatives

Kevin Barron

• Labour
• Chair of health committee
• Rother Valley
• Safe seat
• Result: Kevin Barron holds seat

Peter Bone

• Conservative
• Health committee
• Wellingborough
• Boundary changes, traditionally marginal, could be lost to Labour
• Result: Peter Bone holds seat

Jom Dowd

• Labour
• Health committee
• Lewisham West and Penge
• New seat
• Safe Labour seat
• Result: Jim Dowd holds seat

Sandra Gidley

• Liberal Democrat
• Health committee/former pharmacist
• Romsey and Southampton North
• New seat. Marginal, Tory target. Being fought by Caroline Nokes, mum and former chief exec of National Pony Society
• Result: Sandra Gidley loses seat to Conservatives

Stephen Hesford

• Labour
• Health committee
• Wirral West
• Standing down for “family reasons” after Baroness Scotland row (was aide). Key battleground. Tories only need 0.76% swing

Doug Naysmith

• Labour
• Health committee, Dementia Care Trust president
• Bristol North West
• Standing down. Bellwether constituency
• More information

Lee Scott

• Conservative
• Health committee
• Ilford North
• Marginal seat, Labour target 
• Result: Lee Scott holds seat

Dr Howard Stoate

• Labour
• Health committee
• Dartford
• Standing down due to second job rules. Highly marginal seat
• More information

Robert Syms

• Conservative
• Health committee
• Poole
• Safe Tory seat 
• Result: Robert Syms holds seat

Dr Richard Taylor

• Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern
• Health committee/consultant rheumatologist
• Wyre Forest
• Health Concern’s representation on the local council has fallen since 2004. Labour and Tories fighting hard     
• Result: Richard Taylor loses seat to Conservatives

Others with a health background

Rachel Joyce*

• Conservative
• Adviser on public health to shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley. For the past 20 years has worked as a GP for the NHS. Has also been a director of Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT and interim medical director of Bedfordshire PCT. An advocate of devolving power in the NHS to a local level, arguing that this would reduce the duplication work between health and social care and improve efficiency. Has called for more emphasis to be put on public health research, suggesting that money be devolved to local PCT directors of public health. Has suggested an independent health board should be responsible for monitoring PCT outcomes.
• Harrow West
• Result: Labour hold

Emma Bishton

• Labour
• NHS North East Essex lead for developing and commissioning drug and alcohol services, and third sector funding
• South Suffolk
• Safe Tory seat
• Result: Conservative hold

Dr Steven Ford

• Independent
• Retired GP, health pundit, worked under Richard Taylor in first job as newly qualified doctor 
• Hexham
• Tory seat

Karen Jennings

• Labour
• Head of Health, Unison. Former nurse
• Hornsey and Wood Green
• Lib Dem seat, held by Lynne Featherstone. Labour target
• Result: Lib Dem hold

Helen Grant

• Conservative
• Was non-executive director of NHS Croydon from January 2005 until 2007
• Maidstone and the Weald
• More information 
• Result: Conservative hold

Paul Maynard

• Conservative
• Served as a health adviser in the Conservative Research Department in 1999 and was later appointed an adviser to Dr Liam Fox MP during his role as shadow health secretary
• Blackpool North and Cleveleys
• More information
• Result: Conservative win from Labour

Philip Lee*

• Conservative
• GP, has attacked the lack of scientific expertise among MPs
• Bracknell
• More information
• Result: Conservative hold

Daniel Poulter*

• Conservative
• Consultant specialising in obstetrics, gynaecology and women’s health 
• Suffolk Central and Ipswich North
• More information
• Result: Conservative hold

Sarah Wollaston*

• Conservative
• GP, interests in community hospitals, binge drinking and alcohol-related crime
• Totnes
• More information
• Result: Conservative hold

Maggie Throup*

• Conservative
• Has worked in medical diagnostics sales and marketing, and as a medical laboratory scientist. Has set up a social action project to tackle childhood obesity
• Solihull
• More information
• Result: Lib Dem gain from Conservatives

Ruth Smeeth*

• Labour
• Has worked with industry and government developing healthcare policy
• Burton
• Result: Conservative gain from Labour

Margot James*

• Conservative
• Has served on the board of Parkside NHS Trust and worked as a mental health manager
• Stourbridge
• More information
• Result: Conservative win from Labour

Debbie Abrahams*

• Labour
• World expert in Health Impact Assessment, advises health ministers and institutions such as the World Health Organisation. Previously chair of Rochdale PCT where she took a particular interest in health inequalities and child protection
• Colne Valley
• Result: Conservative gain from Labour

Owen Smith*

• Labour
• Head of government relations for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company 
• Pontypridd
• Result: Labour hold

Rowenna Holland*

• Conservative
• Works in the biotechnology industry, currently employed as the head of marketing for the allergies section with the company ALK-Abello Ltd
• Nottingham South
• More information
• Result: Labour hold

Andrew Dakers*

• Liberal Democrat
• Has worked for GlaxoSmithKline
• Brentford and Isleworth
• Result: Conservative gain from Labour

Andrew Hardie*

• Conservative
• GP, has worked in Birmingham for the past 20 years. Has regularly travelled to Rwanda as part of the Conservative Party’s voluntary overseas social action project, Project Umubano.
• West Bromwich West
• Result: Labour hold

 

*information supplied by DeHavilland