Member

We have to be honest about something that is not discussed enough: the fact that, socially and culturally, there is an imbalance of power in a doctor-patient relationship. In this House, because we are surrounded by many brilliant medical experts and because we are all peers—and Peers—we sometimes do not hold back from challenging each other. We are all equals. I do not know about other noble Lords, but when I go to the doctor as a patient, I suddenly become a quivering wreck. I very much feel the less-equal partner, like millions of people. The noble Lord, Lord Deben, made the point that people are frightened of doctors. I do not think it is that; I think it is a kind of old-fashioned deference and awe. It is a relationship of dependence. After all, you are seeing the doctor because you are ill—in this instance, terminally ill—and when you are very poorly, your sense of agency is at its weakest; you feel fragile and vulnerable. That is one reason why I added my name to the important amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Carter of Haslemere. We look to the doctor as an expert, on whom we are dependent for treatment, advice, expertise and help. That awards considerable moral social authority to the doctor and considerable influence over an ill person’s medical decisions.