NATIONAL REFRACTORY ANGINA CENTRE

That this House pays tribute to the work carried out by the National Refractory Angina Centre (NRAC) headed by Professor Mike Chester, which has received national and international acclaim for its pioneering work; notes the contribution made by the NRAC Patients' Support Group, which has hundreds of members; expresses grave concern that Professor Chester's reputation has unfairly been targeted by means of false allegations and flawed disciplinary procedures; further notes that the Patients' Support Group, which fully supports Professor Chester, having tried unsuccessfully to resolve the current difficulties with the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals Trust, has been victimised and has been inappropriately pressured to make false formal complaints against Professor Chester by senior Trust staff, in several cases by means of threats as regards future treatment; and further notes that the Patients' Support Group has succeeded in initiating a General Medical Council investigation into what has occurred and, pending that investigation, calls on the Government to instruct the hospital authorities to desist from applying inappropriate pressure on the Patients' Support Group and individual patients.