David Watkin: General surgeon who improved surgical training and helped establish the Leicester Medical School

David Watkin was a firm believer in the importance of teaching, but he felt that the training he received was inadequate. “The number of operations for which a consultant directly supervised me could be counted on the fingers of one hand,” he wrote.

He worked tirelessly to do better for his staff—and not just doctors and medical students. Shortly after taking up his consultant post in general surgery at Leicester Royal Infirmary in 1971, he set up training for intensive care nurses and created a course for the new grade of operating department assistants.

When he was appointed inaugural clinical subdean for the new Leicester Medical School, which opened in 1975, he was given a free hand to set up clinical training, which included designing the course, allocating clinical attachments, running the exams, and caring for the students.

He believed in the importance of …