Aidan Halligan obituary

Surgeon who pioneered NHS training to improve patient care through learning from mistakes

Aidan Halligan, who has died suddenly aged 57, was a compassionate surgeon who challenged the status quo in healthcare. His lasting contribution lay in demonstrating how to create safer and more effective ways for doctors, nurses and others to work together, in an environment of learning from mistakes. The work he pioneered, and was passionate about, resulted in safer and better care for patients.

As director of clinical governance for the NHS (1999-2006), and then as deputy chief medical officer for England from 2003, under Liam Donaldson, he helped establish consistent standards of care across the English NHS. He ran an innovative training establishment in Leicestershire, Elision Health (2006-2008), where surgical and multidisciplinary teams could develop their skills.