Cyril Taylor (9 March 1921 – 11 December 2000) was a medical doctor in general practice and politician in Liverpool. He was born in New Brighton to orthodox Jewish parents. The family changed their name from Zadesky to reflect his father's profession. He went to Wallasey Grammar School, where he was active in the

Federation of Zionist Youth The Federation of Zionist Youth (FZY) is Britain's oldest Judaism, Jewish, Zionism, Zionist, pluralism (political philosophy), pluralist Zionist youth movement, youth movement, founded in 1910. It is affiliated with Young Judaea in the United Sta ...

and later joined the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

. He studied medicine at Liverpool University. He worked at the medical receiving centre at

Alder Hey Hospital Alder Hey Children's Hospital is a children's hospital and NHS foundation trust in West Derby, Liverpool, England. It is one of the largest children's hospitals in the United Kingdom, and one of several specialist hospitals within the Liverpool ...

which received casualties from the evacuation of Dunkirk. During his

national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

he became major in charge of the British hospital in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

. In 1946, he was one of a delegation of doctors from the

Socialist Medical Association The Socialist Health Association (SHA, called the Socialist Medical Association before May 1981) is a socialist medical association based in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party as a Socialist society (Lab ...

who met Nye Bevan and urged him to resist the demands of the medical establishment. He was President of the

Socialist Health Association The Socialist Health Association (SHA, called the Socialist Medical Association before May 1981) is a socialist medical association based in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the Labour Party as a socialist society. History The Socialis ...

from 1980 to 1989. In 1949 he was appointed medical officer with the Liverpool Shipping Federation but was sacked because of his politics. He then set up as a general practitioner in his home in Sefton Drive, Liverpool. He became an active member of the Hospital and Welfare Services Union and later the

Confederation of Health Service Employees The Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) was a United Kingdom trade union representing workers primarily in the National Health Service. History The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the Mental Hospital and Institutional ...

. He stood for election to the City Council as a Communist in 1949 and was reprimanded by COHSE for referring to his membership in his election literature. He left the Communist Party in 1956. He played for Sefton Rugby Club until he was 40. He was an elected member of

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. Liverpool has had a local authority since 1207, which has been reformed on numerous ...

from 1966 and became chair of the social services committee. He helped to establish the Centre 56 Women & Children's Aid Centre in 1973. He was appointed a member of the

Royal Commission on the National Health Service The Royal Commission on the National Health Service was a Royal commission set up by the Wilson government in 1975. It was to consider the "best use and management of the financial and manpower resources of the NHS". The Royal Commission reporte ...

in 1975. He pioneered the concept of NHS

Health Centre A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

s and was instrumental in establishing the Princes Park

health centre A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

, in

Toxteth Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the county of Merseyside. Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Liverpool, Canning, Dingle, Liverpool, Dingle, and Edge Hill, Merseyside, Edge Hill ...

in 1977.

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. She won the Whitbread Awards priz ...

Fritz Spiegl Fritz Spiegl (27 January 1926 – 23 March 2003) was an Austrian-born English musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived in Britain from 1939. His works include compiling the Radio 4 UK Theme in 1978. Early life Spiegl ...

Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th g ...

and

Adrian Henri Adrian Henri (10 April 1932 – 20 December 2000) was a British poet and painter best remembered as the founder of poetry-rock group the Liverpool Scene and as one of three poets in the best-selling anthology '' The Mersey Sound'', along with ...

were his patients there. Henri produced a poem and a portrait of him as a tennis player. In 2021 two of his former colleagues, Katy Gardner and Susanna Graham-Jones, produced an account of the centre: ''A Radical Practice in Liverpool: the rise, fall and rise of the Princes Park Health centre''.

Publications

*Is your GP really necessary? *Charter for Health

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Cyril 1921 births 2000 deaths British general practitioners Labour Party (UK) councillors Councillors in Liverpool Jewish British politicians 20th-century English politicians Medical doctors from Merseyside People from Birkenhead