Alasdair Liddell
Alasdair Donald MacDuff Liddell CBE (15 January 1949 – 31 December 2012) was one of the architects of Britain's health strategy in the 1990s.[1] As Director of Planning at the Department of Health (1994–2000) he led the process of setting national priorities for the National Health Service (NHS).[2][3]
Alasdair Liddell | |
|---|---|
| Department of Health Director of Planning | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 January 1949 |
| Died | 31 December 2012 (aged 63) London, United Kingdom |
| Spouse(s) | Jenny Abramsky (until death) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Balliol College |
He resigned, reputedly over policy differences with ministers,[1] and subsequently acted as an advisor to health charities like the King's Fund (where he was a Senior Associate) and to health sector companies and consultancies. He was Senior Counsel to Bell Pottinger and was non-executive Deputy Chairman of Healthcare Locums plc, effectively taking executive responsibility in early 2011 when the company was found to have financial irregularities leading to the suspension of the company's chief executive Kate Bleasedale.
Liddell was educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh, and Balliol College, Oxford (1967–70). He moved from the voluntary sector to health management and as chief of the East Anglian Regional Health Authority he pioneered the Rubber Windmill, a simulation involving large numbers of clinicians, health managers, journalists and others over several days, which tested (and found wanting) the government's plans to introduce internal markets to the NHS. The Windmill was highly influential and led to changes in the government's approach. Liddell's simulation idea has since been used repeatedly to assess the impact of the market-based reforms, notably for the King's Fund in 2007.[1][4]
He would be promoted by Ken Jarrold to Director of Planning.[2][5] As Director of Planning at the Department of Health Liddell had Board level responsibility for strategy, NHS information and IT, NHS Communications, and a number of key policy areas. After the 1997 election he led the team supporting Ministers in laying the foundations for much of current government policy for the NHS. He was awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1997 for services to the NHS.[6]
He would die at age 63 of an aneurysm he suffered while visiting friends, he would die in London.[4][6][7]
Family
The son of Donald and Barbara Liddell, of Pitlochry, he married Jenny Abramsky with whom he had two children.[4]
Works
References
- Joe Churcher (4 January 2013). "Ex-NHS policy chief Alasdair Liddell dies aged 63". The Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- Edwards, Brian; Fall, Margaret (2005). The Executive Years of the NHS: The England Account 1985-2003. Radcliffe Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85775-759-0.
- Cooper, Liz (1995). Voices Off: Tackling the Democratic Deficit in Health. Institute for Public Policy Research. ISBN 978-1-86030-002-8.
- Dickson, Niall (11 January 2013). "Alasdair Liddell obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- Limited, Pearson Education (26 May 1999). Education Year Book 1999/2000. Pearson Education, Limited. ISBN 978-0-273-64158-2.
- Alasdair Liddell obituary, The Times, 11 January 2013.
- "Alasdair LIDDELL Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- Liddell, Alasdair; Adshead, Stephen; Burgess, Ellen (23 October 2008). "Technology in the NHS: Transforming the patient's experience of care". The King's Fund. ISBN 978-1-85717-574-5. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- Harvey, Sarah; Liddell, Alasdair; McMahon, Laurie (2009). O’Neill, Kathryn (ed.). Windmill 2009: NHS response to the financial storm (PDF). London, United Kingdom: The King's Fund. ISBN 978-1-85717-588-2.