A tribute to David Metcalfe

We are saddened to hear of the death of David Metcalfe. Our thoughts go out to his colleagues, family and friends.

Please see the tribute written by John Howie below.

Professor David Metcalfe

With the passing of David Metcalfe on 26th February, the UK has lost one of the truly influential leaders from the formative years of general practice as an academic discipline.

David left full-time service practice in Hull in 1970 to join the Family Medicine Program in Rochester, New York, returning to the UK in 1972 to take up the first academic general practice post in the Nottingham Medical School alongside the stimulating but challenging professor of Public Health, Maurice Backett. A successful start there to his life as an effective leader, made him a clearly well suited appointee to succeed Pat Byrne as professor in Manchester in 1978, another personality who it was a big responsibility to follow.

David met the challenge of building a large and useful research data base involving a large network of general practices in the northwest of England. When the Department of Health decided to set up a long-term contract to develop an academic Primary Care Research and Development facility for England and Wales, David’s department in Manchester, in partnership with the Universities of York and Salford was the first choice for its home. David appointed David Wilkin to lead this strongly multi-disciplinary research facility, balancing the need to reflect the team’s sometimes conflicting roles as a customer of the Department of Health, but still determined to function free of government direction.

Probably David’s greatest love was teaching. Because of the undergraduate student partnership with the University of St Andrews, pre-clinical teaching in general practice centred round communication skill teaching. But teaching in the three clinical years included a significant input from general practice, strongly supported through David’s well developed working relationships with successive Deans Les Turnberg and Robert Boyd. By the time of his retirement, 20% of clinical teaching was based in general practice.

Those who knew David best, talk reverently of his abilities as a teacher, a supporter of young academics, and a leader of small groups, where he often combined his skills as a cartoonist with his wonderful strength as a listener. In due course, he became the right hand man to Marshall Marinker and the MSD Leadership Courses, working with strong personalities identified in their local areas as the leaders of the future.

When David retired in 1993, he moved with his Ann to the village of Milburn near Penrith, where they beautifully renovated a Barn with a neat garden overlooking the Cumbrian hills and valleys. David was a proud family man. Widely read, a strong supporter of the arts, an avid Guardian reader. But easily able to fit in unobtrusively to community life in his new home setting where he combined local services (delivering early morning newspapers to the house bound) with being an excellent host to his large circle of friends from his past academic times. By some years the oldest surviving UK professor of General Practice, he will be greatly missed by all his friends and admirers.

Thanks for everything David.

John Howie