Career
She was created a life peer in 1990 as Baroness Cumberlege, of Newick in the County of East Sussex. Coming from a medical family, in 1992 she was appointed a Junior Health Minister and for five years covered all health and social services matters in the House of Lords. She was also the Sponsor Minister for the city of Plymouth responsible for regeneration and a budget of £45 million per year.
In 1997 she was Opposition Spokesperson for Health.
She also said that "The National Health Service ought not to exclude as a matter of principle the private sector" stating that "Competition is both a spur and a discipline". She said the government should try "putting a hospital or two under private management", noting private prisons as a "precedent", but that "If that is a bridge too far, we could try running one or more trusts as co-operatives with staff owning all the shares".
In 2010 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Nursing. In 2001 she launched her own company, Cumberlege Connections Limited.
Trustee, Cancer Research United Kingdom Senior Associate, The King"s Fund.
Secretary, Dying Well Parliamentary Group Vice President, Royal Society for Public Health Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Physicians Vice President of the Royal Colleges of Nursing and Midwives Chair of Trustees, Chailey Heritage School President, Age United Kingdom East Sussex.
