Baroness’s Message for Medics
30 April 2009
The Catholic Medical Association, (formerly the Guild of Catholic Doctors) held its first annual symposium in Bristol, last weekend the (25 and 26 April). Revitalised under its new name, a large number of anticipant health professionals from all manner of fields came to Bristol from all over the country.
The line up of speakers was impressive, boasting many high calibre speakers, most notably Baroness Julia Cumberlege, former Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Health.
The mood in the Novotel, Bristol was one of expectancy, and it would be fair to say that the Baroness, first of the keynote speakers did not disappoint, delivering a speech that was both witty and thought provoking.
The conference title was ‘Catholics in Healthcare: A Challenging Vocation’ and vocation was a consistent vein throughout her speech. The Baroness humorously described her medical upbringing, including a touching account of her mother’s vocation to the family.
She described the importance of religion in her own life, before going on to discuss its significance in the National Health Service. In particular, she expressed the need for hospital Chaplains, something she said was “desperately need” and stressed that having a set of values gave medics “a huge advantage”. The emphasis of the speech was on the issue of trust, something the Baroness discussed in detail. She finished her talk with a compelling challenge, directed specifically to the doctors in the room, urging them to take on leadership themselves, and to follow the example of the United States, where, she said: “The doctors run the hospitals”.
You can listen to our interviews with Baroness Cumberlege together with Bishop Declan in the multimedia panel on the right. Former political prisoner Shelia Cassidy also tells her amazing story of torture and subsequent medical career.
Matt Gompels
The Catholic Medical Association, (formerly the Guild of Catholic Doctors) held its first annual symposium in Bristol, last weekend the (25 and 26 April). Revitalised under its new name, a large number of anticipant health professionals from all manner of fields came to Bristol from all over the country.
The line up of speakers was impressive, boasting many high calibre speakers, most notably Baroness Julia Cumberlege, former Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Health.
The mood in the Novotel, Bristol was one of expectancy, and it would be fair to say that the Baroness, first of the keynote speakers did not disappoint, delivering a speech that was both witty and thought provoking.
The conference title was ‘Catholics in Healthcare: A Challenging Vocation’ and vocation was a consistent vein throughout her speech. The Baroness humorously described her medical upbringing, including a touching account of her mother’s vocation to the family.
She described the importance of religion in her own life, before going on to discuss its significance in the National Health Service. In particular, she expressed the need for hospital Chaplains, something she said was “desperately need” and stressed that having a set of values gave medics “a huge advantage”. The emphasis of the speech was on the issue of trust, something the Baroness discussed in detail. She finished her talk with a compelling challenge, directed specifically to the doctors in the room, urging them to take on leadership themselves, and to follow the example of the United States, where, she said: “The doctors run the hospitals”.
You can listen to our interviews with Baroness Cumberlege together with Bishop Declan in the multimedia panel on the right. Former political prisoner Shelia Cassidy also tells her amazing story of torture and subsequent medical career.
Matt Gompels
Images
Your comments
© Clifton Diocese 2010 | Disclaimer
