The chair of Tower Hamlets LMC is anything but work-shy.
She’s had her hands full this year. Babylon’s GP at Hand practice has been attracting patients from across London, including Tower Hamlets, and she has been one of the biggest critics – particularly as she is also chair of Doctors in Unite.
Passionate about social justice, Dr Applebee is a long-standing advocate for impartiality and free health care for migrants, and earlier this year at the UK LMC conference she successfully passed a motion in favour of abandoning the practice of charging overseas patients.
But her fight does not stop here. She strongly stands against the ‘hostile environment in the NHS’ – as she puts it – to make sure the nation’s beloved health service remains publicly funded and free at the point of delivery for all.
These values prompted her to challenge the Barts Health NHS Trust after the hospital displayed posters warning that ‘NHS hospital treatment is not free for everyone’ alongside introducing identity checks on patients unable to prove they were eligible for free care.
Her many GP platforms – she also sits on the BMA Council – have given her the opportunity to make her voice heard and ‘achieve more in the fight against injustice’.
Nothing can stop the firebrand campaigner who will soon meet Labour members to discuss the future of the NHS. Watch out.
Why influential: Not afraid to speak up to defend noble causes
What others say: ‘Passionate about social justice, organised to the point of obsession, that she takes on too much but try to get the most out of life’
Random fact: Member of the NHS choir the NHS Singers
