Elizabeth Catherine "Liz" Shore, Lady Shore of Stepney, (née Wrong; 19 August 1927 – 20 February 2022) was a British general practitioner and civil servant who served as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom from 1977 to 1985. She introduced measures to encourage women doctors to return to work after having children, and support their promotion within the health service.

Early life

Elizabeth Catherine Wrong was born in 1927 in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

to Rosalind and

Edward Murray Wrong Edward Murray Wrong (14 April 1889 – 15 February 1928) was a Canadian-born historian, vice-president of Magdalen College, Oxford (1924–25). Biography Known as Murray, he was the son of Canadian historian George MacKinnon Wrong, and of Sophi ...

, both historians. Her father died when she was young and she was sent with two of her siblings to live with their grandfather in Canada. She returned to England at ten years old and attended Oxford High School and

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

. She went on to graduate from

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

, before completing medical training at the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital. She married

Peter Shore Peter David Shore, Baron Shore of Stepney, (20 May 1924 – 24 September 2001) was a British Labour Party politician and former Cabinet Minister, noted in part for his opposition to the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Commun ...

, a Labour Party politician whom she had met at Cambridge, in 1948. They had four children together: Thomasina, Tacy, Piers and Crispin.

Career

Shore began her career as a general practitioner in London and

Harlow, Essex Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper ...

. She held

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

posts with

Hertfordshire County Council Hertfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire, in England, the United Kingdom. After the 2021 election, it consists of 78 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, ...

and then

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

, before joining the Ministry of Health in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

in 1962. When she was appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer in 1977, one of her primary initiatives was to support women doctors to return to the medical workforce after having children and to encourage the progression of women doctors to more senior positions within the health service. She was also involved in restructuring the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

to increase the ratio of senior to junior doctors by adding additional consultant positions. She was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1980 for her contribution to health service and she was nominated for promotion to Chief Medical Officer in 1984. Although Shore was reported to be the strongest candidate, her nomination was vetoed by Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

due to Shore's husband's affiliation to the opposing Labour Party. Disillusioned with the Conservatives, Shore stepped down from her position in 1985 and left civil service to become a dean of postgraduate medical education for the North West Thames Regional Health Authority. She was a member of the General Medical Council from 1989 to 1994 and was president of the

Medical Women's Federation The Medical Women's Federation is the largest UK body of women doctors. The organisation is dedicated to the advancement of the personal and professional development of women in medicine and to improving the health of women and their families i ...

from 1990 to 1992.

Later life

Liz Shore became Lady Shore of Stepney in 1997 when her husband was appointed to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

after holding a seat in parliament for over three decades, although she preferred the title "Dr" to "Lady". She retired to St Ives, Cornwall, and died on 20 February 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shore, Liz 1927 births 2022 deaths 20th-century British civil servants British general practitioners Companions of the Order of the Bath Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge British baronesses People educated at Oxford High School, England People educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College Presidents of the Medical Women's Federation People from Oxford Spouses of life peers