Cyril Taylor (9 March 1921 – 11 December 2000) was a medical doctor in general practice and politician in Liverpool. He was born in New Brighton to orthodox Jewish parents. The family changed their name from Zadesky to reflect his father's profession. He went to

Wallasey Grammar School The Kingsway Academy (formerly Wallasey School) was a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Leasowe in the English county of Merseyside. Wallasey Grammar School in the Wirral area was first constructed on St George's Road. A ...

, where he was active in the

Federation of Zionist Youth A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...

and later joined the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

. He studied medicine at Liverpool University. He worked at the medical receiving centre at

Alder Hey Hospital Alder Hey Children's Hospital is a children's hospital and NHS foundation trust in West Derby, Liverpool, England. It is one of the largest children's hospitals in the United Kingdom, and one of several specialist hospitals within the Liverpool ...

which received casualties from the evacuation of Dunkirk. During his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

he became major in charge of the British hospital in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

. In 1946, he was one of a delegation of doctors from the

Socialist Medical Association The Socialist Health Association (SHA, called the Socialist Medical Association before May 1981) is a socialist medical association based in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the Labour Party as a socialist society. History The Social ...

who met

Nye Bevan Aneurin "Nye" Bevan PC (; 15 November 1897 – 6 July 1960) was a Welsh Labour Party politician, noted for tenure as Minister of Health in Clement Attlee's government in which he spearheaded the creation of the British National Health ...

and urged him to resist the demands of the medical establishment. He was President of the

Socialist Health Association The Socialist Health Association (SHA, called the Socialist Medical Association before May 1981) is a socialist medical association based in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the Labour Party as a socialist society. History The Social ...

from 1980 to 1989. In 1949 he was appointed medical officer with the Liverpool Shipping Federation but was sacked because of his politics. He then set up as a general practitioner in his home in Sefton Drive, Liverpool. He became an active member of the

Hospital and Welfare Services Union The Hospital and Welfare Services Union (HWSU) was established in 1918 as the Poor Law Workers Trade Union. It recruited from all ranks in the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, poor law service. Within a year it claimed 10,000 members. In 1922 changed ...

and later the

Confederation of Health Service Employees The Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) was a United Kingdom trade union representing workers primarily in the National Health Service. History The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the Mental Hospital and Institutional ...

. He stood for election to the City Council as a Communist in 1949 and was reprimanded by COHSE for referring to his membership in his election literature. He left the Communist Party in 1956. He played for Sefton Rugby Club until he was 40. He was an elected member of

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor ...

from 1966 and became chair of the social services committee. He helped to establish the Centre 56 Women & Children's Aid Centre in 1973. He was appointed a member of the

Royal Commission on the National Health Service The Royal Commission on the National Health Service was set up by the Wilson government in 1975. It was to consider the "best use and management of the financial and manpower resources of the NHS". The Royal Commission reported in June 1979, by ...

in 1975. He pioneered the concept of NHS

Health Centre A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

s and was instrumental in establishing the Princes Park

health centre A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

, in

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill. The area w ...

in 1977.

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. Bainbridge won the ...

Fritz Spiegl Fritz Spiegl (27 January 1926 – 23 March 2003) was an Austrian-born English musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived and worked in Britain from 1939. His works include compiling the Radio 4 UK Theme in 1978. Early lif ...

Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th gr ...

and

Adrian Henri Adrian Henri (10 April 1932 – 20 December 2000) was a British poet and painter best remembered as the founder of poetry-rock group the Liverpool Scene and as one of three poets in the best-selling anthology '' The Mersey Sound'', along with ...

were his patients there. Henri produced a poem and a portrait of him as a tennis player. In 2021 two of his former colleagues, Katy Gardner and Susanna Graham-Jones, produced an account of the centre: ''A Radical Practice in Liverpool: the rise, fall and rise of the Princes Park Health centre''.

Publications

*Is your GP really necessary? *Charter for Health

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Cyril 1921 births 2000 deaths British general practitioners Labour Party (UK) councillors Councillors in Liverpool Jewish British politicians 20th-century English politicians Medical doctors from Merseyside People from Birkenhead