Psychiatric Bulletin (2002) 26: 78. doi: 10.1192/pb.26.2.78
© 2002 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2002) 26: 78
© 2002 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Ashley Robin
Formerly Consultant Psychiatrist Runwell Hospital, Essex Charing Cross Hospital
S. R. Hirsch
Ashley Robin was born in 1925 in the East End of London and was raised in
Greenford, attending Ealing Grammar School. He moved with his family to
Glasgow at the age of 16, although he had cycled there by himself at 14
— an early demonstration of his determination, which remained throughout
his life. He studied medicine at Glasgow University, where he graduated MBChB
in 1947 and was awarded his MD in 1958. He began his career in psychiatry when
he was 23 at Runwell Hospital, from 1950 to 1980, where he eventually became
consultant and sometime deputy physician superintendent. He gained the DPM in
1951 and was elected FRCPsych in 1972. His first mentor, James Valentine,
considers him "one of the best", a phrase with which all who knew
him would agree. He was an authority on the Mental Health Act and gave
distinguished service as a medical member of the Mental Health Act Tribunal
from 1960 until 1997, retiring at age 72. He took a scholarly approach to his
subject and applied careful scientific method to his research, which was
unusually prolific for a full-time consultant, with more than 45 research
studies and articles published, mostly in the British Journal of
Psychiatry.
Ashley rang me just after he had a serious heart attack while going to (and
completing) interviews for a post-retirement post at the Department of Health
in 1980. He completed the interview and returned to his flat and rang me to
take him to Charing Cross, although we had never met. After his coronary, I
persuaded him to begin his second career at Charing Cross, where he became
Head of the Gender Identity Unit, the largest in the world. He was, as well, a
consultant to the Home Office, examining inmates at Pentonville Prison. This
determination not to be daunted by health difficulties served him well for the
succeeding 21 years, despite a coronary bypass in 1985, and 10 years of
increasing heart failure and Parkinson's disease.
His last contribution to medical knowledge was an analysis he and I made of
the decline in admissions under the Mental Health Act through the 1970s until
1987, after which they steadily increased to previous 1970s levels. He noted
that the change occurred when bed numbers crossed the point that Tooth and
Brook, in 1972, predicted that bed numbers would meet need, following the
discharge of the old long-stay from mental hospitals and their eventual
closure. Tooth and Brook had not anticipated the zeal of managers and
advocates of community care to shut down beds far beyond scientifically
estimated predictions. Unfortunately, publication was rejected — we felt
this was because the statement went against the rush to ‘community
care’.
Ashley courageously nursed his French wife, Monique, during her long
illness with cancer and she died in 1992. He renewed his interest in bridge,
and played 2-3 times a week in London and on holidays, often with his sister
Jeannette in warmer parts of the world. In the last 2 or 3 years of his life
he was increasingly handicapped by his Parkinsonism, yet travelled to Turkey
just 4 months before his death, and played his last hand of bridge only a week
before he died.
Ashley Robin engendered warm feelings; he had a wonderful dry humour and
was a man of the highest principles, who was respected and appreciated by his
professional colleagues, friends and family alike.
He leaves a son, Philip, a daughter, Jane, and four grandchildren whom he
adored and of whom he was extremely proud.
