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28 August 2020
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Professor Sir Neil Douglas: a tribute

The Founding Chair of FMLM, 2011 - 2017, died on 23 August 2020, aged 71.

By Mr Peter Lees 

FMLM Chief Executive

It is a privilege and an honour to pay tribute to Sir Neil Douglas, our Founding Chairman – but it is a privilege and an honour which has come too soon.

In 2010, when a vacuum appeared in a professional home for medical leadership, Neil (formerly President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh) was Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. He once told me that advancement of medical leadership was a key element in his bid to be Chair of the Academy and so, it is unsurprising that he used his characteristic, visionary leadership to instigate the establishment of FMLM, securing unanimous approval from the Academy Council in February 2011. In his last weeks of life, he agreed to write about those events to start the recorded history of FMLM for next year’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Our last and final correspondence was two days before he died. Sensing his failing health, I urged him to pause, but knowing Neil’s selfless determination I bet he did not.

Neil was the obvious choice as the FMLM Founding Chair and was subsequently elected substantive Chair, deftly steering the building of the strong foundations of our Faculty, which we enjoy today. I had been the SHA medical director representative on the steering group for the new organisation and was delighted by the initiative which I was looking forward to supporting from the wings. Unbeknownst to me, Neil had other ideas; I was travelling in a taxi from Heathrow back to the SHA office when I received a call out of the blue, sort of asking me lead the setting up of the new organisation – I say ‘sort of’ because when I asked for a little time to ponder, the inimitable Neil response was “as long as the answer is yes”. That simple call allowed me to embark on the most fulfilling role and professional relationship of my career, greatly helped by the dedication and talent of Kirsten Armit. Much has been written of the tricky nature of chair and chief executive working relationships, but Neil made that easy. He struck the prefect balance of being present but letting us get on and run the show. We felt trusted, valued and empowered. He was always there to listen or offer advice and guidance, something I valued enormously and throughout my career there is no medical leader I have admired more than Neil.

It is daunting to try to summarise Neil’s many qualities borne of huge and diverse experience. His chairing skills were legendary. He always allowed enough discussion…but no more! It was refreshingly clear when he thought the conversation had covered enough points, he had absolutely no time for waffle. His meetings started and finished on time and we went away with absolute clarity on the decisions taken and what needed to be done. He had great wisdom, humility and integrity and many have commented in recent days on his approachability – his ability to make colleagues, irrespective of seniority, feel valued. No surprise, therefore, that he was admired over the years by successive cohorts of clinical fellows, for whom he was a strong advocate. Many colleagues, including former clinical fellows, have paid moving tributes to Neil, some of which are included below. It seemed particularly fitting on his retirement from FMLM in 2017 to name the FMLM clinical fellow post after Neil and I am pleased to report that the third FMLM Douglas fellow will join us next week.

Essentially, Neil was very much a family man in a family of four doctors. He was quietly devoted to, and immensely proud of, his wife Sue, daughter Kirsty and son Sandy. More than once, I was fortunate to share in their generous hospitality, enjoying Neil’s great choice of fine wine and his home-made marmalade - not both at the same time. On top of his busy professional life, Neil led an equally busy social life of fishing, walking and sailing –  although he admitted that Sue was the better sailor – all centred on his beloved Scotland. He was a nifty skier and was very cross when his illness prevented him from his annual trip to Colorado. Throughout his travels, he was fastidious in letting us know of his whereabouts and the likelihood of a mobile signal at varying hours of the day, allowing us to plan things which needed his input. If you can call it a hobby, his last was to build an idyllic cottage with incredible views of a Scottish loch and the hills beyond. It is cruel that he did not have more time to enjoy it.

Throughout his life Neil had been a picture of health and fitness, but he was struck down with his final illness around eighteen months ago. Through the sadness of his plight, I was privileged to be taken into his confidence and in awe of the matter of fact conversations in which we talked of his prognosis, it was as if we were discussing a patient. He was as brave as he was practical. There is a small crumb of comfort knowing that his final hours were spent with his family, in his cottage, in his beloved Scotland and with the spectacular view he and Sue had planned.

So many have described Neil as a great man, one of a kind; it is so true. Our challenge is to follow his example and develop more medical leaders like Neil, then the world will be a better place and the great space he has left will feel less empty. Thank you, Neil.

 

Remembering Neil

“The medical world has lost one of its great leaders. Neil was a gifted medical leader who made an epoch-making contribution to healthcare.  He was a brilliant thinker and has left us an inspiring legacy by establishing medical leadership as an academic discipline and profession in its own right. I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Neil, and I was always struck by his humility and compassion through which he encouraged many other doctors.” 

Professor Mayur Lakhani, FMLM Chair

“Neil was unwavering in his belief that medical leadership was critically important to the future of our health service and the patients it serves. His expert chairmanship helped us reach the key decisions which have led to FMLM being the organisation it is today. I will be forever grateful for his support and the space he allowed us ‘to get on with it’. I have many fond memories of the conversations Peter and I had with Neil in the early days, with the three of us  – the Scotsman, the Englishman (‘Northerner’) and the Australian – often retreating to a nearby pub as we worked together to establish the Faculty. Neil will be greatly missed by all in the FMLM team who knew and worked with him. His legacy lives on through FMLM and the strides the medical profession makes in improving its leadership.” 

Kirsten Armit, FMLM Chief Operating Officer

“Neil recognised early on the importance of building leadership capacity and capability within our profession. He will be forever remembered for his vision, energy and drive which ultimately led to the establishment of FMLM in 2011. He was a wonderful Chair who maintained focus, combined with good humour. He was a mentor to many, quietly supporting and encouraging behind the scenes. He will be sorely missed by all of us.” 

Dr Iain Wallace, former FMLM Interim Chair

“Neil understood the power and benefit of effective leadership to patients as well as to doctors and their teams. Having lived and practiced the art, he enabled others to share his drive to professionalise medical leadership as Founding Chair of FMLM. How lucky we were to have known him and been guided by his energy and values. We must celebrate his life and work and ensure his legacy is a vibrant network of skilled medical leaders.” 

Dame Clare Marx, Chair of the GMC, former FMLM Chair

“I am honoured to have been a Douglas fellow at FMLM (2018 – 2020), it has given me the opportunity to observe and develop medical leadership first-hand. On behalf of all who will have the privilege of becoming a Douglas fellow in future, I believe we owe Professor Sir Neil Douglas a debt of gratitude and the responsibility to ensure his legacy lives on through our work with FMLM and aspirations to develop as better medical leaders.” 

Dr Adam Janusweski, Douglas fellow, Specialist Registrar in Medical Oncology

“I got to know Neil when I was a National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow with FMLM. He was never without words of wisdom or humour, after talking with him I would come away with the drive to do new and better things, as well as a desire to follow his adventures and go hiking or sailing in Scotland. Neil had a passion for involving doctors in leadership from the very beginning of their careers and, as anyone who saw him chair a meeting will know, he accomplished things. His influence opened-up leadership opportunities for trainees across the four nations, but he also found time on a personal level to help guide and develop my leadership skills, for which I will always be grateful.” 

Dr Lola Loewenthal, Respiratory/GIM registrar, Chair, British Thoracic Society Specialty Trainee Advisory Group

“Neil was a lovely man with a great ability to make you feel valued, no matter how junior you were. He was an advocate for hearing from everyone and tirelessly supportive of us as trainees.” 

Dr Emma Parish, General Paediatric Consultant

“FMLM has gone from strength to strength with Neil behind it. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and former colleagues, together with my gratitude for his leadership.” 

Dr Richard Heron, Vice-President Health and Chief Medical Officer, BP plc

“Neil has been important not just to FMLM, but to medicine. I have fond memories of working with him on the Managing Medical Careers committee – he was a powerful force, steering us out of one of the troubled times in medical education.” 

Professor Jacky Hayden CBE, President of the Academy of Medical Educators

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