Ilora Gillian Finlay, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, FRCP, FRCGP,

FLSW The Learned Society of Wales () is a national academy, learned society and Charitable organization, charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the W ...

, FMedSci (born 23 February 1949) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of palliative medicine, and a

crossbench A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...

member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. Born the only daughter of Professor Charles Beaumont Benoy Downman, Finlay grew up in outer London. She attended

Wimbledon High School Wimbledon High School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private girls' day school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, South West (London sub region), South West London. It is a Girls' Day School Trust school and is a member of the Girls' ...

before studying medicine at

St Mary's University, Twickenham St Mary's University, Twickenham is a public university in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its stated commitment is to the mission of the Catholic Church in higher education. History Originally foun ...

. In 1972 she married Andrew Yule Finlay, with whom she has two children.

Career

Finlay became the first Consultant in Palliative Medicine in Wales in 1987. She was President of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

from 2006 to 2008. She is a professor of palliative medicine at

Cardiff University School of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine () is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, it is the oldest of the three med ...

, and is consultant at the

Velindre Cancer Centre The Velindre Cancer Centre () is a specialist facility offering inpatient and outpatient care for cancer patients in Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales. The site is currently managed and owned by the Velindre University NHS Trust, and was previously o ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. On 28 June 2001, she was made a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, of

Llandaff Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...

in the County of South Glamorgan. In 2003 she proposed a bill to ban smoking in public buildings in Wales, three years before it was eventually implemented. In 2007, Lady Finlay introduced a private members bill seeking to change the current system of organ donation from 'opt in' to 'opt out'. Parliamentary timing did not allow for this bill to proceed but the principle continues to be debated. Two years later she succeeded in changing government policy on organ donation to allow potential organ donors to be able to specify a family member or close friend to whom they wish to donate their organ(s). In March 2010, Baroness Finlay sponsored the Sunbeds (Regulation) Bill as it reached the House of Lords for scrutiny. With just weeks before the forthcoming general election, Baroness Finlay, with Government and Opposition front bench support, took the MP

Julie Morgan Julie Morgan (née Edwards; 2 November 1944) is a Welsh Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North seat in the Senedd since the 2011 election. She was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Cardiff No ...

's private members bill through its final stages, to

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

. Baroness Finlay is a co-chair of the

All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group The All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) is an official All-Party Parliamentary Group of the UK Parliament, chaired by Paul Davies MP. The group exists to tackle carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the UK, improve government p ...

, which brings together parliamentarians committed to tackling

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

. In October 2011, following a six-month inquiry which she chaired, the Group produced a report entitled
Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
', including a number of recommendations for policy and behaviour change. Lady Finlay also chairs the
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dying Well
', which promotes palliative care. She is a Vice President of

Marie Curie Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...

, Patron of

The Trussell Trust Trussell is an NGO and charity that works to end the need for food banks in the United Kingdom. It "is based on, shaped, and guided by Christian principles" and supports a network of over 1,200 food bank centres to provide emergency food and compa ...

's foodbank network in Wales, and the

Motor Neurone Disease Association The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND Association) focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by motor neurone disease (MND) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. MND is also kno ...

. She is also patron of Student Volunteering Cardiff She was a Founding Fellow of the

Learned Society of Wales The Learned Society of Wales () is a national academy, learned society and Charitable organization, charity that exists to "celebrate, recognise, preserve, protect and encourage excellence in all of the scholarly disciplines", and to serve the W ...

and is a Member of its inaugural Council. She is patron of the award-winning charity Students for Kids International Projects (1099804). In 2014 she was appointed as president of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union and professional body for physician, doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA ...

. In 2017, she was appointed one of two patrons of the

Royal Microscopical Society The Royal Microscopical Society (RMS) is a learned society for the promotion of microscopy. It was founded in 1839 as the Microscopical Society of London making it the oldest organisation of its kind in the world. In 1866, the Society gained it ...

, the other being fellow member of the House of Lords, Baroness Brown of Cambridge. In 2020, Finlay served as chairwoman of th
Alcohol Harms Commission
whic
recommended that England
establish a minimum unit price for alcohol. She is a longstanding opponent of any change in the law on assisted suicide.

Awards

Finlay was named the Welsh Woman of the Year in 1996. In 2007 she was awarded the ePolitix Charity Champion Award for her work as a patron with the Shalom House Trust. In 2008 the Dods and Scottish Widows Women in Public Life Awards named her Peer of the Year. In 2014 the Livery Company of Wales’ awarded Finlay their outstanding achievement award. In March 2015, Finlay was awarded the

Grassroot Diplomat Grassroot Diplomat is a global non-profit, non-political, diplomatic consultancy established in 2013. The consultancy specializes in digital diplomacy and public diplomacy working with foreign governments and citizen diplomats to help build posi ...

Initiative Honouree for her vigorous campaigning to improve the care of dying patients.

Arms

References

External links

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff at TheyWorkForYou.com
*
Baroness Finlay, Grassroot Diplomat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay of Llandaff, Ilora Finlay, Baroness Living people 20th-century Welsh medical doctors 21st-century Welsh medical doctors Welsh medical researchers Crossbench life peers Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales Academics of Cardiff University Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine 1949 births Presidents of the Medical Women's Federation 20th-century Welsh women medical doctors 21st-century Welsh women medical doctors

Career

Awards

Arms

See also

References

External links