18 February 2025
A new All Party Parliamentary Group has been formed to examine the issue related to emergency care, and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine is delighted to have been appointed to support it.
The informal cross-party group launched this month (12 February 2025) in Westminster, bringing together parliamentarians who will engage with healthcare professionals and organisations outside Parliament to advocate for improvements in Urgent and Emergency Care.
And RCEM has been selected to provide the secretariat support for the group, offering specialty expertise and insights.
At its inaugural meeting, Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, herself an Emergency Medicine Doctor, was elected as the group’s Chair.
Former Health Secretary and Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt was appointed as Vice-Chair while Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse and Labour MP Peter Prinsley were elected as Officers.
Other members of the APPG include Labour MP Dr Beccy Cooper, a public health doctor, and Labour MP Paulette Hamilton, who both sit on the Health and Social Care Committee.
Its formation comes as Emergency Departments are still in the depth of a winter crisis and ahead of the publication of the government’s 10-Year Plan for the NHS, expected later this year.
Dr Adrian Boyle, President of RCEM said, “We are honoured to support the APPG on Emergency Care and would like to thank Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP and her team for their work in forming such an important group.
“We also thank all other MPs and peers who have joined as members. The group has a wealth of experience, and a shared drive to ensure our Emergency Care system is the best it can be – for those working in it and, of course, those needing its help.
“Emergency Medicine is a vital part of our Health Service, and we all know it can be the place where issues in other areas become visible.
“This new group will be able to consider all the issues impacting the provision of Emergency Care, hear from experts, and hopefully develop the solutions we all want.
“It is a great privilege for RCEM to be able to support this important work and we can’t wait to get started.”
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Member of Parliament for Tooting and Chair of the APPG on Emergency Care, said, “Working on the NHS frontline in emergency medicine has always been my passion. Whether it is our doctors, nurses or porters, every person in the emergency department is integral to its effective functioning. I know that my colleagues up and down the country work tirelessly to provide the highest standards of care for their patients in some of the most difficult of circumstances.
“I am proud to establish this cross-party group of Parliamentarians, alongside the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, who are committed to fighting to improve emergency care at every level. We will be hearing from experts, publishing reports and making sure that the importance of emergency care is highlighted in Government policy.”
APPGs are established for a wide range of purposes, consisting of Members of both Houses who come together to pursue a particular topic or interest. They also engage with individual and organisations outside Parliament who share an interest in the subject matter. They are not official parliamentary bodies.
Members of the APPG on Emergency Care are:
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP (Tooting)
Paulette Hamilton MP (Birmingham Erdington)
Sadik Al-Hassan MP (North Somerset)
Valerie Vaz MP (Walsall and Bloxwich)
Jeremy Hunt MP (Godalming and Ash)
Ayoub Khan MP (Birmingham Perry Bar)
Shockat Adam MP (Leicester South)
Beccy Cooper MP (Worthing West)
Cat Eccles MP (Stourbridge)
Wera Hobhouse MP (Bath)
Richard Burgeon MP (Leeds East)
Rosie Duffield MP (Canterbury)
Dawn Butler MP (Brent East)
Sharon Hodgson MP (Washington and Gateshead South)
Bambos Charalambous MP (Southgate and Wood Green)
Dr Simon Opher MP (Stroud)
Rachael Maskell MP (York Central)
Peter Prinsley MP (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)
Ian Byrne MP (Liverpool West Derby)
Marsha de Cordova MP (Battersea)
Siobhain McDonagh MP (Mitcham and Morden)
The Lord McNicol of West Kilbride
