Dame Clare Lucy Marx DBE DL FRCS (15 March 1954 – 27 November 2022) was a British surgeon who was president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from July 2014 to July 2017, the first woman to hold the position,[1] and former chair of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. From January 2019 until July 2021, Dame Clare was chair of the General Medical Council, the first woman appointed to that role.
Dame Clare Marx | |
|---|---|
 Bust of Clare Marx at the Royal College of Surgeons of England | |
| Born | Clare Lucy Marx 15 March 1954 Coventry, England |
| Died | 27 November 2022 (aged 68) |
| Alma mater | University College London Medical School |
| Spouse |
Andrew Fane (m. 1989) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions |
|
She had worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust from 1993.[2]
Personal life
editMarx was born in Coventry on 15 March 1954, the daughter of Francis Ulrich Marx, a German industrial chemist, and Brenda (Johnston) Marx, a teacher and magistrate.[3] She grew up in Warwick and, later, Cheltenham.[4][5] She decided to become a doctor after a work experience placement at Coventry Hospital.[6]
She wed Andrew William Mildmay Fane, son of Major Robert William Augustus Fane and Elinor Valerie (Borthwick) Fane, in 1989.[6]
Marx was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2021. She died from the disease on 27 November 2022, at age 68.[4][7]
Biography
editMarx qualified in medicine from the University College London Medical School in 1977.[2] Her surgical house jobs were in the London area and later she completed arthroplasty training at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. She became a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at St Mary's and St Charles's hospitals with a particular interest in early surgical education. In 1993 she became clinical director of the combined A&E, Trauma & Orthopaedics and Rheumatology directorate at Ipswich Hospital.[2]
Later she chaired the LNC and the Medical Staff Committee. She was also extensively involved in governance and in new projects at the hospital.
In 2009 Marx was elected to the RCS Counci. She was also elected to the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) Council and became president of the BOA for 2008–09. She was made chair of the RCS invited review Mechanism in 2011.
In 2013 she became associate medical director at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust with a special remit for revalidation and appraisal and continued in that role, having stopped active orthopaedic practice in March 2014. She became president of the college in July 2014[2] and held this role for three years. Dame Clare was chair of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management from 2017 to 2018. In 2019 she became chair of the GMC.[8]
After the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in the June 2016 referendum, Marx posited in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that Brexit was an opportunity to improve safety standards in the NHS by strengthening medical device legislation and language testing for non-British workers. She felt the European Working Time Directive which restricts working hours in the NHS needed to be relaxed to permit more hours of training.[9][10] The Royal College of Surgeons of England later sent out a press release clarifying that they did not endorse a return to excessive hours for NHS workers.[11]
Marx resigned as chair of the GMC at the end of July 2021, following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. She had been chair from January 2019 and was the first woman to hold the position since the founding of the organisation in 1858.[12]
Honours
edit- 2007 Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to medicine (2007 Birthday Honours)[13]
- 2008 Deputy Lieutenant of Suffolk[14]
- 2016 Honorary degree from the University of Exeter for services to medicine[15]
- 2017 Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (FRCSI)[16]
- 2018 Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to surgery in the NHS (2018 New Year Honours)[17]
References
edit- ^ "First female president elected at the Royal College of Surgeons". Royal College of Surgeons of England. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Council Biographies: President, Clare Marx". Royal College of Surgeons of England. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Obituary, theguardian.com. Accessed 11 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Colleagues remember Dame Clare Marx as a compassionate, approachable and principled leader of the surgical profession". The Royal College of Surgeons of England. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ "Clare Lucy MARX – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
- ^ a b Bristol, University of. "Dame Clare Marx DBE DL FRCS". bristol.ac.uk.
- ^ "Former RCS England President Dame Clare Marx has passed away". Royal College of Surgeons of England. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ "Dame Clare Marx". Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Bodkin, Henry (17 July 2016). "Brexit will make the NHS safer, top surgeon says". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Marx, Clare (20 July 2016). "Clare Marx: Making the best of Brexit for the NHS". The BMJ.
- ^ "Working time rules and Brexit". Royal College of Surgeons of England. 18 July 2016.
- ^ "Dame Clare Marx to step down from General Medical Council". General Medical Council. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Birthday Honours List – United Kingdom: CBE". The London Gazette (Supplement). No. 58358. 16 June 2007. p. 8.
- ^ "Deputy Lieutenant Commissions". The London Gazette. No. 58743. 20 June 2008. p. 9305.
- ^ Robinson, Debbie. "University of Exeter". www.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ "Honorary Fellows". Rcsi.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "2018 New Year Honours". The London Gazette. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
External links
edit- Profile page: Clare Marx, Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management
- "Elegy: The Nightingales" by Philip McDonagh, irishtimes.com. 8 July 2023.
