Sarah Wollaston is a GP based in Dartmoor, Devon. Until recently she was also teaching junior doctors and medical students and working as an examiner for the Royal College of GPs.
Sarah hit the headlines in August 2009 when she became the first parliamentary candidate to be selected by an all postal open primary ballot. From over one hundred applicants, the final shortlist of 3 candidates was chosen by the local association and then all 67,773 voters in the Totnes constituency were able to chose who they would like to represent the Conservatives at the General Election. There was an enthusiastic response and Sarah was the clear winner with almost half of the votes cast.
Sarah is married to Adrian, a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist and has three children aged 15, 17 and 20. She enjoys (slow) cross country running and is a keen tandemer.
Sarah has a special interest in reducing alcohol related problems and is passionate about the NHS. She is keen to promote accessible healthcare in rural areas and has a particular affection for community hospitals. She would like to see a fairer deal for mental health services and improved early diagnosis for cancer.
Totnes has an international reputation for its environmental activism and is home to the Transition Towns movement. Sarah will be highlighting the problems not only of climate change but also of peak oil. She will be pushing for the next Government to act quickly to plug the looming energy gap as well as promoting greater local resilience and sustainability.
The Totnes Constituency includes Brixham, which is England's biggest fishing port. Sarah would like to see a renegotiation of the Common Fisheries Policy to put an end to the quota system which leads to the discarding of healthy fish at sea. She believes that fishermen should land their entire catch to reduce waste and encourage methods that reduce by catch and allow for better monitoring of fish stocks.
Farming, tourism and small business are all vital to the local economy of the South Hams.
Sarah's past experience includes a BSc in Pathology as well as her medical degree. She feels it is important to have more MPs with a background in science and technology and to promote better maths and science teaching in schools. Sarah has experience teaching both undergraduates and postgraduates and, as an examiner, understands the need to maintain high professional standards in healthcare.
Sarah worked for many years as a forensic medical examiner for Devon and Cornwall Police, mostly with victims of physical and sexual assault. This led to a special interest in the problems of alcohol related crime as well as a deep concern about domestic violence.