Colette Marshall, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, remembers our trustee Dr Bob Young, who recently passed away.
I am so very sorry to share the news that Dr Bob Young has died after a short illness.
Bob was a consultant diabetologist in Salford. He was a member of our Council of Healthcare Professionals and then a trustee on our Board.
He probably knew more about the reality of diabetes care than anyone else in the country, yet he carried his expertise and knowledge very lightly and was always supportive and easy to work with.
Bob was an incredibly constructive and effective trustee at Diabetes UK. He was obviously an expert in his field and very highly regarded. But more than that - he saw the best in people.
He carefully considered all the very many papers trustees get sent for each meeting and gave common sense and strategic insights on them. He listened. And he took a long-term perspective always with optimism that the charity would do well.
Bob was especially supportive during the pandemic, seeing how the charity could make a very important difference during that time. And he was keen that we were not driven by fear of the unknown but were confident in what we could do.
Every time we worked up our strategy, we would ask him who we were missing among people with diabetes and what issues we should be focussed on. His advice underpinned a major programme of work for children and young people with type 1 diabetes, and our current focus on tackling inequality.
Few people make a difference to the health and lives of millions of people. Bob’s work setting up and sustaining the National Diabetes Audit over 20 years made such an impact. It underpins all the work that the charity does in supporting better care in the health system.
Getting healthcare professionals and systems to share data is incredibly difficult. Bob had the ability to build trust and to enable people to focus on the best outcomes for people with diabetes. He was tenacious, patient, and doggedly fought for the audit through funding cycles and senior management changes. The UK has some of the best data on the healthcare of people with diabetes because of Bob and his work.
We have always worked closely with Bob and NHS England on the National Diabetes Audit. On their behalf, Dr Clare Hambling, NHS England National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity, said:
“Being part of Bob's NDA team was an immense honour and privilege. His vision in understanding the power of data to inform and drive improvements in clinical care is likely to have improved the lives of millions of people living with diabetes.
“Bob loved bringing the team together to share data insights and explore opportunities to make a difference. He had a gentle leadership style, encouraged and valued contributions from all the team and respected challenge.
“The legacy he has left through his years of dedication and devotion to the National Diabetes Audit is now internationally regarded. I am sure that I speak for the whole NDA team and the National Diabetes Programme Team who worked closely with Bob in saying that everyone thought him a very special person. He was highly respected and much loved by all who worked with him, and he will be deeply missed.
“We will miss him. He was a very special man and as a trustee put it so well ‘I found him graceful, kind and a remarkable physician.’”
