It was with real sadness and regret that I learnt of the untimely death of Professor Malcolm Woollard last month. Sadness that a friend and mentor had died far too early, and regret that the projects we had been developing will now have to continue without his presence, insight and guidance. Malcolm's achievements are unparalleled in the context of the paramedic profession, and it is reasonable to argue that he has been one of the most influential people in the development of the paramedic workforce in recent years.
Despite having started his healthcare career as a nurse back in 1982, Malcolm was a paramedic through-and-through. Within 2 years of qualifying he had joined the ambulance service and made rapid progress to become one of the very first paramedics at a time when the qualification had yet to be recognised at a national level. He continued to serve as a leader in his field and claimed a number of important firsts including; the first UK paramedic to be conferred in the title of visiting professor, the first paramedic to be conferred in a full-time professorship, and the first paramedic to be appointed as a consultant allied health professional.
Those who knew Malcolm well would agree that he was proud of his achievements and loved collecting ‘firsts’, as well as displaying his array of titles and post-nominals—which would fill half of this page. It was only a month ago that I was mischievously mocking him about his titles, but I knew how important they were to him, especially following his retirement from full-time work due to health problems. The one thing I learnt when I first met him was that he earned every one of those titles and post-nominals, and deserved every accolade he ever received.
For me, it was Malcom's research that set him apart from his peers. Around the year 2000, when most paramedics were being trained didactically in short courses and had no exposure to research and evidence-based practice, Malcolm was publishing in peer-reviewed academic journals, and leading the development of evidence-based guidelines, introducing pre-hospital research into the Welsh Ambulance Service. For most paramedics, higher education was still some years away and it would have been difficult to find other paramedics who were interested in pursuing research at that time. For Malcolm to be leading these developments is testimony to his forward vision, tenacity and sheer perseverance in a profession that was at times, hostile to the developing world of evidence and research. Of course the profession would have started to develop its research capacity at some stage, but I don't think it would be where it is today without Malcolm's drive and leadership.
When I first met Malcolm in 2005, I was daunted by the breadth and depth of his knowledge—that was at a different level to any other paramedic I had met—and by his inexhaustible drive to further the paramedic profession. I initially felt ill-matched in any debate I had with him, and was apprehensive that engaging in debate would reveal my own inadequacies; however, Malcolm wasn't looking for inadequacies, he was looking for potential.
He was encouraging, provided reassurance and guidance, and ensured that other capable and driven paramedics were given opportunities to follow his lead in achieving improvements in patient care. He provided support, motivation and research leadership to numerous paramedics in the UK and overseas, many of whom are now publishing high-quality research that is generating the evidence base that informs our current practice.
Malcolm was outspoken and never afraid of causing controversy. He didn't really care if he was addressing a group of doctors, nurses or any other health professionals; he told them what he thought they needed to know rather than what they wanted to hear, and he had the evidence to support his arguments. Malcolm challenged conformity and believed that paramedics had the right to lead their own professional development, rather than being led by the medical profession. He could be relied upon to say what he thought even if it was unpopular and, as a result, he had his critics in the medical profession as well as within the hierarchy of the College of Paramedics. What Malcolm did was to make wise people stop and question the way they were thinking—even if his opinions ruffled feathers and were against received wisdom.
I was fortunate to work closely with Malcolm and get to know him as a friend during his tenure as Professor of Pre-Hospital and Emergency Care at Coventry University between 2007 and 2012. Malcom co-directed the newly formed Pre-hospital, Emergency and Cardiovascular Care Applied Research Group alongside Professor Tom Quinn, who is now the Director for the Centre for Health and Social Care Research at Kingston University and St George's University, London. It was a real privilege to have ready access to the skills, knowledge and experience of two eminent professors, and it still ranks as the most significant period of my own professional development. Malcolm was generous with his time and gave of it freely to all who asked. He was keen to support students on pre-registration paramedic courses as well as students at higher levels of academia, and he had a talent for explaining complex issues in a way that was accessible to everybody.
While many people knew of Professor Malcolm Woollard, very few knew him well. His work was his passion and he gave everything for the profession that he loved. Some, like me, would argue that he over-committed to work, but this was who Malcolm was and it was difficult to convince him otherwise. In addition to his ‘day job’, Malcolm was one of the founding members of the British Paramedic Association, later to become the College of Paramedics, and was the first Chair of the College's Research and Audit Committee. He also served as a Chair of the College of Paramedics and committed a significant amount of his personal time to supporting the development of the College at a point where membership was low, and it seemed that our profession had yet to understand the need for a strong professional body. I suspect that his commitment to work made retirement through ill-health a little more difficult to accept than it may otherwise have been but even with illness, Malcolm maintained a keen interest in the profession and was an excellent sounding board for ideas and problem-solving.
I'm sure that many tributes will be paid to Malcolm over the next few weeks and at his funeral on the 24th August. Normally it would be sad to think that people have had to die before the tributes were made. On this occasion, it is nice to be able to report that Malcolm heard the tributes to his achievements while he was alive thanks to the comments made when he received his Fellowship of the College of Paramedics and his recent lifetime achievement award. Perhaps now is an appropriate time to remind ourselves to say thank you to the people who opened those doors for us, the people who changed our profession, and the people who just made a difference, before they it's too late.
Malcolm was driven to improve patient care and professionalise paramedics; he worked tirelessly to help other paramedics achieve their goals; and he made me realise how many things I didn't know that I didn't know. It is difficult to overstate the contribution that he made to our profession and to patient care, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.