Dale was the Chief Medical Officer of Western District Health Service, known throughout Australia for leading the Australian Primary Care Collaboratives. He was a highly respected general practitioner in Hamilton, Victoria, with a large following of loyal patients to the end. His death was the consequence of the myelodysplastic syndrome.
After physician training in Melbourne, in 1980 Dale moved to general practice in Hamilton.
His leadership showed through during rural health reforms under former Federal Health Minister, Michael Wooldridge. “Let's give it a go!” Dale would say. He gave lots of innovations a go. Dale was involved in the formation of the Otway Division of General Practice and its successors. He was the Inaugural Chair of Greater Green Triangle (GGT) GP Education and Training and helped to establish the GGT University Department of Rural Health (GGT UDRH).
Hamilton became the centre for work to improve rural health. Dale got GGT UDRH off to a flying start, undertaking studies that explained the high rates of cardiovascular disease and poor health among rural people; developing a diabetes prevention initiative which ran across Victoria as the Life! program; developing the management by practice nurses of depression in people with heart disease and diabetes; and developing the world’s first patient questionnaire on patient safety.
Dale is best known for leading the Australian Primary Care Collaboratives. Twenty-two years ago, he went to Manchester to be trained by Professor Sir John Oldham in the quality improvement science of collaboratives.
Dale added new knowledge by reporting the Australian outcomes in scientific papers, which convinced people in other countries that the methods worked. The Australian Primary Care Collaboratives improved the quality of cardiovascular disease, diabetes management, Aboriginal health, access to general practice, treatment of respiratory diseases and many other areas.
By the time the Collaboratives ended, a third of the general practices in Australia had benefited and, to this day, continue to use the techniques they learned. The Australian Collaboratives was the largest and longest primary care implementation project in the world. Dale acted as an advisor in Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden and the USA.
At the national level, he participated in several projects, including producing handbooks on patient safety and on multimorbidity, which have been taken up internationally, and parts of which are built into the desktop software for Australian general practice.
Through membership of the Australian Health Policy Collaboration since 2014, Dale contributed to policy documents for the Australian Government, including Being Equally Well – a policy to improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness.
He found time for work in his community, including as Director of Hamilton and Alexandra College Foundation Committee, Treasurer of Landcare group for 30 years, and Member of the County Fire Authority since 1984, with three medals for continuous service.
Dale was a humble, genuine man, with a high degree of integrity, who was quietly, efficiently, effectively, willingly and, often behind the scenes, working tirelessly, both professionally and in voluntary roles, to make our community and the world a better place.
He dedicated his working life to the health and prosperity of his community, rural communities across Australia, and healthcare internationally. We will remember Dale as a great doctor, an internationally respected leader in the quality improvement movement, and above all, a wonderful man.
He is survived by Rowena and their children, Tanya, Edwina and Adam, and four grandchildren.
James Dunbar
Andrew Knight
Sir John Oldham
Tribute to Dr Dale Richard Ford
Vale Dale Ford
Dale impressed me as the epitome of a learned gentleman. In looks and mannerisms, he always reminded me of Irish actor Ardal O'Hanlon from the series Father Ted.
I cannot exactly remember when I first met Dale but as we had so much in common, it could have been anywhere.
We were both rural, but my rural town was swallowed up by the expansion of the Melbourne fringe 25 years ago.
Dale was Chair of Otway Division of General Practice; I was Chair of Central Highlands.
We were both interested in quality assurance and general practice systems management. I was involved with the Department of General Practice at Melbourne University; he set up the Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Health.
I was in the State Emergency Service to start; he was in the County Fire Authority. We were both interested in emergencies and disaster response and were both in Medical Displan.
After the demise of both Medical Displan and the Divisions of General Practice, we did not see each other that often but our paths would cross at meetings and such. Eventually, I got busy in my patch, and he got busy in his.
At the many meetings we attended, he could always be relied on for sensible and reasoned suggestions.
I will forever remember his joyous personality, his infectious enthusiasm and his optimism.
May he rest in peace.
A Prof Chris Hogan OAM