
Derek is a proud Co. Durham lad. He went to Birmingham University too many years ago and qualified with an Honours degree. Initially wanting to be a Diabetologist, Derek did a medical rotation in East Birmingham and became a member of the Royal College of Physicians. He landed up in a Junior Macmillan post and whilst doing Oncology worked in a hospice and found his niche. Having gained his General Practice qualification, Derek started on a palliative medicine rotation in the West Midlands. He found that it was the wrong time for him to go into palliative medicine full time, so became a GP in Birmingham City Centre- working in Balsall Heath and Edgbaston. He was part of the practice that looked after the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the local MOD staff. Derek also gained a Masters in Health Care Ethics at this point and was an Honorary lecturer in the Department of General Practice at the University of Birmingham. He also became a Graduate Entry Moderator and helped to write and teach the Graduate Entry Medicine Course at Birmingham University.
Derek and his family lived in New Zealand for 2 years where Derek worked at Mercy Hospice in Auckland as well as being a GP in West Auckland (where the film The Piano was filmed!) and also looked after the national basketball team, the Breakers. He enjoyed coming back to palliative care so, on returning to the UK and the homeland of Durham, Derek trained for Consultant status via the CESR route. At the same time, he gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education.
Derek is now Medical Director at Severn Hospice which serves Shropshire and mid Wales. Derek is also Visiting Professor in Palliative Medicine and Bioethics at Chester University. Derek’s interests include palliative care for adults with neuromuscular conditions for which he is helping write the national NICE guidelines, community palliative care and bioethics. For the APM,Derek was Chair of the 2012 PCC and has been on the Education committee and the Ethics Committee. He helped run the annual APM Ethics course. He is now APM Treasurer.
In his spare time Derek loves treading the board (he won a best Actor award for a play called Bouncers), knows how to ballroom dance and loves hitting the gym – though not at the same time. He is pleased to be on the exec especially at a really exciting time for the APM and its future.