Paying tribute to Dr Derek Doyle

1931

Derek Doyle was born on 13 July in Bury, near Manchester

1955

Derek Doyle becomes Dr Derek Doyle when he graduates from Edinburgh University

1956

Dr Doyle married Bethia Robb and began work at Leith Hospital, where he gained experience in surgery.

Paying tribute to Dr Derek Doyle

Staff and volunteers at St Columba's Hospice Care have paid tribute to the life and inspirational legacy of the organisation's first medical director and founding board member Dr Derek Doyle, who died in January aged 90.

1957

Dr Doyle and Bethia travelled to South Africa, where he initially worked as a missionary surgeon, and later oversaw a 150-bed facility in Transkei as Medical Superintendent.

1966

Dr Doyle and Bethia return from South Africa with their young family and Dr Doyle begins working as a GP at Corstorphine Hospital. Here he meets Ann Weatherall, the matron who shares a keen interest in palliative care.

1977

Dr Doyle & Ann Weatherall establish St Columba’s Hospice in Trinity, Edinburgh. Ann Weatherall fulfilled the role of Matron, and Dr Doyle became the Hospice’s first medical director.

1987

Dr Doyle is awarded an OBE for his work in recognition of his contributions to palliative care

LEFT: Dr Derek Doyle dedicated his life to improving care for dying people around the world. Dr Derek Doyle was born in Bury, near Manchester on 13 July 1931. Soon after, his family relocated to Glasgow where he attended school before enrolling as a medical student at Edinburgh University, graduating in 1955. After his studies, Dr Doyle travelled to South Africa with his wife where they worked as Church of Scotland missionaries through some of the worst years of apartheid, from 1957 to 1966. He focused initially on surgical work in a highly deprived area before taking up the role of Medical Superintendent to a 150-bed hospital in the Transkei. When Dr Doyle returned to Edinburgh, he quickly established his own practice and worked both as a GP, and as an Associate Specialist in Corstorphine Hospital. This coincided with the opening of St Christopher’s in South London - the world’s first modern hospice. Following a meeting with Dame Cicely Saunders and inspired by the model of care at St Christopher’s, Ann Weatherall, the Matron at Corstorphine Hospital, began to explore the feasibility of opening a hospice in Edinburgh.

1995

Dr Doyle retires from his post as medical director at St Columba’s Hospice.

1999

'The Platform Ticket' is published - one of Dr Doyle’s best known and loved books.

2005

Dr Doyle Receives the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine's Lifetime Achievement Award.

2009

Dr Doyle is awarded Lifetime Membership of the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care.

... a facility which would not only offer exceptional end-of-life care but also specialise in teaching and research...

Weatherall envisioned a facility which would not only offer exceptional end-of-life care but also specialise in teaching and research. With Dr Doyle's support, this vision became a reality when St Columba’s Hospice opened its doors to patients in December 1977. Nestled on the banks of the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh, Dr Doyle became a founding board member and the Medical Director of the first hospice in Scotland. Dr Doyle had a remarkable life and played a critical role in shaping a new discourse at the end of life. During his final years, Dr Doyle continued to influence palliative care developments internationally. He promoted the work of his specialty with passion and determination and dedicated his life to compassion for patients and their families. Dr Doyle died peacefully at home, on Friday 21 January 2022, surrounded by family, and leaves an enduring global legacy at St Columba’s Hospice Care, throughout the world of palliative care and beyond.

2013

Dr Doyle received a special award from the European Association for Palliative Care.

2015

Bethia, Dr Doyle’s wife of 59 years dies in St Columba’s Hospice.

2021

Dr Doyle dies peacefully at home, surrounded by family, aged 90.

BELOW: Dr Doyle and his wife of 59 years, Bethia, became Church of Scotland missionaries in the 1960s and he spent 10 years providing medical care in deprived parts of South Africa.