Meet the team

 
Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden Chair Sammy is a Registrar in Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine. She previously held a role with the BMA and a seat on the LNC, and was instrumental in organising regional industrial action during the Junior Doctor contract dispute. A passionate advocate for the NHS, Sammy has been interviewed on national television, appearing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky News, in addition to national radio, and has written for The Times, The Independent and The Guardian. Sammy has a unique appreciation for the NHS; after her son was born at 27 weeks, Sammy spent a very difficult 3 months on site with him in Intensive Care at a tertiary centre miles from home. Joshua is doing well now, but the experience has made Sammy all the more determined to fight for the NHS. Sammy has a keen interest in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine, Ergonomics and patient safety, and writes a blog for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on Human Factors.

Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden

Chair

Sammy is a Registrar in Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine. She previously held a role with the BMA and a seat on the LNC, and was instrumental in organising regional industrial action during the Junior Doctor contract dispute. A passionate advocate for the NHS, Sammy has been interviewed on national television, appearing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky News, in addition to national radio, and has written for The Times, The Independent and The Guardian.

Sammy has a unique appreciation for the NHS; after her son was born at 27 weeks, Sammy spent a very difficult 3 months on site with him in Intensive Care at a tertiary centre miles from home. Joshua is doing well now, but the experience has made Sammy all the more determined to fight for the NHS. Sammy has a keen interest in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine, Ergonomics and patient safety, and writes a blog for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on Human Factors.

Dr Rinesh Parmar Vice-Chair and Treasurer Rinesh is a Specialty Registrar in Anaesthetics in the West Midlands. He became more involved in grassroots activism around the time of industrial action. He has served on a number of LNCs across the West Midlands and is currently the Co-Chair of West Midlands Regional Junior Doctors’ Committee. Rinesh organised local industrial action and has conducted local media interviews during the industrial action. He volunteers for two charities and has a keen interest in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine. He is a passionate advocate of doctors’ rights and a campaigner for the preservation of the NHS as a publicly funded, free at the point of use universal healthcare system.

Dr Rinesh Parmar

Vice-Chair and Treasurer

Rinesh is a Specialty Registrar in Anaesthetics in the West Midlands. He became more involved in grassroots activism around the time of industrial action.

He has served on a number of LNCs across the West Midlands and is currently the Co-Chair of West Midlands Regional Junior Doctors’ Committee.

Rinesh organised local industrial action and has conducted local media interviews during the industrial action. He volunteers for two charities and has a keen interest in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine.

He is a passionate advocate of doctors’ rights and a campaigner for the preservation of the NHS as a publicly funded, free at the point of use universal healthcare system.

Dr Cicely Cunningham Learn Not Blame Lead Cicely is a Clinical Oncology Specialty Trainee in Glasgow. Coming to medicine later in life, she has a broad range of experience outside of medicine. Her first degree was in Oriental Studies (Mandarin Chinese) at Cambridge and she also has a Masters in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She has worked as a Fast Stream Civil Servant both in the Department for International Development, where she worked in Clare Short’s office as Private Secretary, and in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, doing work on poverty and social exclusion in the UK. She trained in medicine and completed her Foundation Programme in Wales before moving to Scotland to continue Specialty Training. She works full time and is mum to two small children. Her personal interests are in patient safety and promoting a learning culture.

Dr Cicely Cunningham

Learn Not Blame Lead

Cicely is a Clinical Oncology Specialty Trainee in Glasgow. Coming to medicine later in life, she has a broad range of experience outside of medicine.

Her first degree was in Oriental Studies (Mandarin Chinese) at Cambridge and she also has a Masters in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

She has worked as a Fast Stream Civil Servant both in the Department for International Development, where she worked in Clare Short’s office as Private Secretary, and in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, doing work on poverty and social exclusion in the UK.

She trained in medicine and completed her Foundation Programme in Wales before moving to Scotland to continue Specialty Training. She works full time and is mum to two small children. Her personal interests are in patient safety and promoting a learning culture.

 
 
Dr Robert Hirst Secretary Robert is an ACCS Emergency Medicine trainee (newly) based in Bristol. He was a representative for the BMA and served on the local organising committee during the Junior Doctor contract dispute. Rob organised local industrial action and conducted local and national media interviews during the industrial action (occasionally post-nights!) He is a dedicated advocate for the NHS and for safer, fairer working practices. Rob has spent five years working in frontline specialities and has seen the strain placed onto an under-staffed, cash-strapped, morale-sapped healthcare system. This has motivated him to become more involved in grass-roots activism. For too long, we have let others set the agenda. We need an active body that campaigns on behalf of patients, doctors, and the NHS.

Dr Robert Hirst

Secretary

Robert is an ACCS Emergency Medicine trainee (newly) based in Bristol. He was a representative for the BMA and served on the local organising committee during the Junior Doctor contract dispute.

Rob organised local industrial action and conducted local and national media interviews during the industrial action (occasionally post-nights!) He is a dedicated advocate for the NHS and for safer, fairer working practices.

Rob has spent five years working in frontline specialities and has seen the strain placed onto an under-staffed, cash-strapped, morale-sapped healthcare system. This has motivated him to become more involved in grass-roots activism.

For too long, we have let others set the agenda. We need an active body that campaigns on behalf of patients, doctors, and the NHS.

Dr Alan Woodall GP and Public Health Lead Alan is a GP partner and OOH Doctor in rural mid Wales and Shropshire. A coal-miner’s son who endured the 84-85 strike just like Billy Elliot, but without the dancing ability, he originally trained as a postdoctoral research scientist working at the University of California Berkeley, before returning to study medicine in the UK. Alan decided to pursue a primary care and public health focus, and during his training published research in a number of areas, including work in the BMJ that helped to secure the smoking ban. He gave over 30 media, radio and TV interviews at the time. He founded GPSurvival in 2015, recognising the need to give grassroots doctors, and has served as a campaign lead and chair. It now represents over 8,000 GPs U.K. wide, mainly campaigning on primary care issues initially, but his focus widened over the last year to reform of the GMC, in the light of poor regulatory practices. In that role, he found himself increasingly collaborating with other grassroots groups such as DAUK. His activist work is regularly quoted in the medical press, and he and his team have recognition as partners with NHS England on looking at campaign areas. He is excited to be joining the DAUK team to provide more public health and primary care input, and to strengthen collaboration between different grassroots groups. Alan is married to Joanne, an education officer/primary teacher, and has a 7 year old daughter Abbie. He is happy to be contacted at any time for advice.

Dr Alan Woodall

GP and Public Health Lead

Alan is a GP partner and OOH Doctor in rural mid Wales and Shropshire. A coal-miner’s son who endured the 84-85 strike just like Billy Elliot, but without the dancing ability, he originally trained as a postdoctoral research scientist working at the University of California Berkeley, before returning to study medicine in the UK. Alan decided to pursue a primary care and public health focus, and during his training published research in a number of areas, including work in the BMJ that helped to secure the smoking ban. He gave over 30 media, radio and TV interviews at the time.

He founded GPSurvival in 2015, recognising the need to give grassroots doctors, and has served as a campaign lead and chair. It now represents over 8,000 GPs U.K. wide, mainly campaigning on primary care issues initially, but his focus widened over the last year to reform of the GMC, in the light of poor regulatory practices. In that role, he found himself increasingly collaborating with other grassroots groups such as DAUK. His activist work is regularly quoted in the medical press, and he and his team have recognition as partners with NHS England on looking at campaign areas.

He is excited to be joining the DAUK team to provide more public health and primary care input, and to strengthen collaboration between different grassroots groups. Alan is married to Joanne, an education officer/primary teacher, and has a 7 year old daughter Abbie. He is happy to be contacted at any time for advice.

 
Dr Jenny Vaughan Law and Policy Lead Jenny has been a Consultant Neurologist for 14 years. Jenny was the medical lead for the successful over-turning of the conviction of Surgeon Mr David Sellu for gross negligence manslaughter (GNM). This rare achievement was recognised by a national Modern Law Award. She has supported Hadiza Bawa-Garba for a number of years and has worked towards winning the recent appeal against her erasure. She does not believe that the adversarial nature of the criminal court is the right place to determine who is responsible for complex healthcare-related deaths. Recent prosecutions have been of BME doctors and she believes this should be of great concern to all. Jenny has authored many articles on GNM and is a regular speaker on this subject internationally. She has contributed to the recent reviews into GNM by the government and the GMC. She also worked, to ensure that recent sentencing guidelines for GNM recognised the challenges for those in frontline healthcare. She co-founded the first UK online resource for anyone to access who wishes to know more about the charges of gross negligence manslaughter in healthcare. As an individual she wishes to work with DAUK in order to facilitate a shared understanding of the problems created by recent prosecutions in healthcare and help promote their campaign of “Learn not Blame.” She cares passionately about the NHS and has previously campaigned to highlight the safety issues created by large hospital reconfigurations. She served as a local councillor for 8 years in a busy London borough and had a specialist health portfolio. She has personal experience of what it’s like to be a patient using the NHS and therefore understands how vital patient safety is for both patients and doctors.

Dr Jenny Vaughan

Law and Policy Lead

Jenny has been a Consultant Neurologist for 14 years. Jenny was the medical lead for the successful over-turning of the conviction of Surgeon Mr David Sellu for gross negligence manslaughter (GNM). This rare achievement was recognised by a national Modern Law Award.

She has supported Hadiza Bawa-Garba for a number of years and has worked towards winning the recent appeal against her erasure. She does not believe that the adversarial nature of the criminal court is the right place to determine who is responsible for complex healthcare-related deaths. Recent prosecutions have been of BME doctors and she believes this should be of great concern to all.

Jenny has authored many articles on GNM and is a regular speaker on this subject internationally. She has contributed to the recent reviews into GNM by the government and the GMC. She also worked, to ensure that recent sentencing guidelines for GNM recognised the challenges for those in frontline healthcare. She co-founded the first UK online resource for anyone to access who wishes to know more about the charges of gross negligence manslaughter in healthcare.

As an individual she wishes to work with DAUK in order to facilitate a shared understanding of the problems created by recent prosecutions in healthcare and help promote their campaign of “Learn not Blame.” She cares passionately about the NHS and has previously campaigned to highlight the safety issues created by large hospital reconfigurations. She served as a local councillor for 8 years in a busy London borough and had a specialist health portfolio. She has personal experience of what it’s like to be a patient using the NHS and therefore understands how vital patient safety is for both patients and doctors.

Editorial Team

Dr Neil Tiwari Editor Neil is currently a Core Trainee in Anaesthesia in the West Midlands. After moving to the UK at age 17 and completing undergraduate medicine, he finished Foundation Training and his Core Training in Emergency Medicine. He subsequently worked for two years as a Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, paediatric Critical Care and adult ITU. Neil is keenly interested in clinical simulation training, and the resuscitation and transfer of critically unwell children. Having worked in the NHS for seven and a half years, he has seen first hand the increasing strain on acute services, and this has motivated him to take a more active role in grassroots campaigning. Neil has previously spoken out publicly against the defamation of his EU colleagues by certain elements of the press, as well as giving radio interviews locally in Birmingham during the junior doctor contract dispute whilst participating in industrial action. More recently, he has been speaking out on the issue of restrictions in Tier 2 visas for doctors.

Dr Neil Tiwari

Editor

Neil is currently a Core Trainee in Anaesthesia in the West Midlands. After moving to the UK at age 17 and completing undergraduate medicine, he finished Foundation Training and his Core Training in Emergency Medicine. He subsequently worked for two years as a Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, paediatric Critical Care and adult ITU.

Neil is keenly interested in clinical simulation training, and the resuscitation and transfer of critically unwell children.

Having worked in the NHS for seven and a half years, he has seen first hand the increasing strain on acute services, and this has motivated him to take a more active role in grassroots campaigning.

Neil has previously spoken out publicly against the defamation of his EU colleagues by certain elements of the press, as well as giving radio interviews locally in Birmingham during the junior doctor contract dispute whilst participating in industrial action. More recently, he has been speaking out on the issue of restrictions in Tier 2 visas for doctors.

Dr Kaveri Jalundhwala Newsletter Lead Kaveri finished her Foundation 1 and Foundation Year 2 in West Midlands, and is currently locumming in acute and emergency medicine on an “F3/F4”. She plans to apply for training in General Practice and will be volunteering in Greece helping Syrian refugees later this year. In her 3 years of working she has seen firsthand the disillusionment of doctors, particularly F1s and F2s. Many of her friends have chosen to take years out rather than applying for training, and a few have dropped out to either pursue alternate careers, or work abroad. This, combined with her own experiences on the front-line, has made her passionate for positive change. The only reason she became a doctor was due to her love of the NHS ideal; free care at the point of contact for all regardless of salary, gender, race or background. She is determined to fight as hard as she can to keep the NHS true to these ideals, while ushering it into the 21st century.

Dr Kaveri Jalundhwala

Newsletter Lead

Kaveri finished her Foundation 1 and Foundation Year 2 in West Midlands, and is currently locumming in acute and emergency medicine on an “F3/F4”. She plans to apply for training in General Practice and will be volunteering in Greece helping Syrian refugees later this year. In her 3 years of working she has seen firsthand the disillusionment of doctors, particularly F1s and F2s. Many of her friends have chosen to take years out rather than applying for training, and a few have dropped out to either pursue alternate careers, or work abroad. This, combined with her own experiences on the front-line, has made her passionate for positive change. The only reason she became a doctor was due to her love of the NHS ideal; free care at the point of contact for all regardless of salary, gender, race or background. She is determined to fight as hard as she can to keep the NHS true to these ideals, while ushering it into the 21st century.

Dr Kit Latham Technical Officer Kit believes that too much clinical time is wasted with paperwork and poor technology. Despite his love of working in A&E, he left full time clinical medicine and to develop better digital tools for doctors, aiming to reduce the amount of time they spend on paperwork. He founded a startup called 'drfocused' to make better digital tools for doctors. Kit has an interest in supporting other doctors to build medical technology. He and some other nerdy doctors formed a group called the Doctors' Digital Collective - to help doctors interested in tech connect and support one another. If you have an idea for how to reduce the burden on healthcare workers with technology, and you could use some support, he would love to hear from you.

Dr Kit Latham

Technical Officer

Kit believes that too much clinical time is wasted with paperwork and poor technology. Despite his love of working in A&E, he left full time clinical medicine and to develop better digital tools for doctors, aiming to reduce the amount of time they spend on paperwork. He founded a startup called 'drfocused' to make better digital tools for doctors.

Kit has an interest in supporting other doctors to build medical technology. He and some other nerdy doctors formed a group called the Doctors' Digital Collective - to help doctors interested in tech connect and support one another. If you have an idea for how to reduce the burden on healthcare workers with technology, and you could use some support, he would love to hear from you.