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25. Dr Margaret McCartney

25 dr mc cartney, margaret power50 2017 25

25 dr mc cartney, margaret power50 2017 25

Dr McCartney is perhaps the GP version of Jiminy Cricket: kind, wise and very astute.

This year she has continued her crusade against private health screening firms and their misleading claims, making several complaints to the Advertising Standards Agency.

Pulse reported that she was in talks with the House of Commons Health Committee about potential measures, which she said could involve a levy on private companies to pay the NHS for the work their tests create.

She says: ‘Fundamentally we need some sort of legislation to underscore the principle that these tests are not evidence-based – perhaps an “anti-quackery” clause that all customers must sign before consenting to go through screening,’ she said.

She remains a thorn in the side of any organisation using poor medicine to push their agenda. She has had continued successes with the Advertising Standards Agency, which has upheld her complaints against health companies and products, and she has been one of the most vocal opponents of health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s claims that reduced staffing at weekends leads to higher mortality rates.

Alongside her BMJ column and work on BBC Radio 4’s Inside Health, she has released her third book, The State of Medicine. She has begun a Radio Scotland series, Cradle to Grave, and is working on a new series for Radio 4.

Why influential

Continues to debunk non-evidence-based policy

What others say

‘Writes with sharp wit and insight’

Random fact

Has just completed her 100th parkrun