A Suffolk MP is to put his medical experience to good use after being elected to the House of Commons health select committee.

Dr Dan Poulter, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, secured an overwhelming majority of votes from his back bench Conservative colleagues for the position after a vacancy became available.

Dr Poulter said his background as a frontline NHS hospital doctor, along with his specialist knowledge of obstetrics, gynaecology and women's health issues, made him well suited to contributing to the scrutiny of health and social care as a member of the committee.

'I am delighted to have been elected by my colleagues to sit on the health select committee,' he said. 'This will offer me a really good opportunity to use my medical background to further scrutinise the government's health reforms, and I look forward taking up my role.

'It is important to have people on parliamentary select committees with real experience and knowledge of what they are trying to scrutinise, and given my strong medical background and my Parliamentary contributions in healthcare debates, I look forward to using my specialist mediacal knowledge to help improve healthcare in the UK and for my constituents in Suffolk.'