Tributes to respected medical man

TRIBUTES have been paid following the death of a Northumberland man who was the first GP to become President of the General Medical Council.

Sir Donald Irvine CBE passed away peacefully aged 83 at his family home near Morpeth on November 19.

A former pupil of King Edward VI School in Morpeth, after graduating from Newcastle University he joined his father’s Ashington practice in 1958 and, later, was a partner in one of the UK’s first multidisciplinary teaching family practices.

After chairing the General Medical Council (GMC) Professional Standards Committee, Sir Donald served as its President from 1995 to 2002.

He held the post during a turbulent time for the medical profession due to the Bristol Royal infirmary inquiry.

Set up in 1998 to investigate the deaths of 29 babies undergoing heart surgery in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it led to a 529-page report which effectively provided a blueprint for wider NHS reform.

Sir Donald was awarded a CBE in 1986 and knighted in 1994 in recognition of his service to medicine and medical ethics.

In later years he was patron of Picker, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to developing and producing a patient centred approach to health care and Chair of its Board of trustees from 2001-2013.

Stuart Bell, chair of Picker’s Board of Trustees, said: “His personal commitment, influence, and dedication to Picker’s cause of person centred care played a vital role in this growth and we are in his debt.”

Sir Donald leaves wife Lady Cynthia Irvine, and three children.