Knighthoods for Blakemore and Francis
pharmafile | June 17, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | Francis, Mid Staffs, NHS, blakemore, mdc, queen
Two key figures in healthcare research and reform received knighthoods in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Professor Colin Blakemore, former head of the Medical Research Council (MRC), and Robert Francis QC, who led the Mid Staffs inquiry, were both given the gongs for their professional activities.
Speaking about his high profile work defending scientific experimentation on animals, Blakemore told the BBC: “There were times I was shocked by what happened to me – razor blades in envelopes, bombs, threats against my kids – but I never doubted the principle of public engagement.”
He went on: “I think we have an obligation. If the scientists themselves are always just anonymous figures behind the scenes, then I think the public have reason to be suspicious about our motives. It is important for science to be in the public arena including the difficult things such as animal research, climate change or stem cells,” he concluded.
Sir Colin was chief executive of the MRC for four years until 2007.
Francis was thrust into the spotlight after he presented his report on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which revealed that patients at Stafford Hospital were subjected to ‘appalling and unnecessary suffering’ there, with hundreds dying between 2005 and 2008, many of whom were not cleaned properly or given medicines, food and drink.
The outcry over this was a key factor in changes to the law, which will see NHS staff in England and Wales who indulge in such practices facing the prospect of jail.
The government is to create a new statutory criminal offence of ill-treatment or wilful neglect of patients, which could see offenders being fined £5,000 or jailed for five years, or both.
Francis said: “I feel very honoured, but above all pleased at the recognition of the importance of getting the service right, which remains a work in progress.”
Adam Hill
Related Content
A community-first future: which pathways will get us there?
In the final Gateway to Local Adoption article of 2025, Visions4Health caught up with Julian …
The Pharma Files: with Dr Ewen Cameron, Chief Executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Pharmafile chats with Dr Ewen Cameron, Chief Executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, about …
Is this an Oppenheimer moment for the life sciences industry?
By Sabina Syed, Managing Director at Visions4Health In the history of science, few initiatives demonstrate …
