Patricia Jane Moberly (née Coney; 20 October 1938 – 2 September 2016) was a British public servant, Labour politician, activist, and teacher.
[2] Having received a scholarship, she studied English language and literature at the University of Liverpool: she graduated with a first class honours Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) degree.
[2] Moberly later undertook postgraduate studies at King's College London, completing her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1985.
[1] Her doctoral thesis concerned the work of Charlotte Mary Yonge, a 19th-century novelist with links to the Oxford Movement and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
[3] In November 2008, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree by the London South Bank University in recognition of her "formidable contribution to health management and medical ethics, but also to education, and throughout her career, to the cause of anti-racism".
[1][2] In 1967, the family returned to England and her husband was appointed Vicar of St Anselm's Church, Kennington, London in the Diocese of Southwark.
[1] In the October 1974 General Election, she unsuccessfully stood as the Labour candidate in Marylebone, losing to conservative Kenneth Baker.
[2] In the early 1970, Moberly was arrested after a demonstration outside Downing Street: the protest was against the British government's inaction over the war in Rhodesia.
[3] Her conviction was overturned on appeal, due in part because the Morning Star published a photograph of her under arrest but still holding the placard in question.
[1] She served as a governor of the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals (UMDS) from 1988 to 1990.
[8] When she arrived there were clear issues with the trust: racial divisions meant that black nurses mainly worked on less prestigious wards such as elderly care, and consultant appointments were perceived as being affected Freemasonry membership.
[2] During her 12 years in charge, and having been "initially met with resistance from the predominantly white medical establishment", she strived for racial and gender diversity throughout trust.