Malcolm Alexander

Dr Malcolm Alexander graduated from Edinburgh University in 1980 with the single thought of becoming a General Practitioner in a rural setting and nothing more. Life had other plans and in time he became Clinical Director and then Medical Director for Orkney Health Board, before working as Director of Strategy for the Scottish Executive Remote and Rural Initiative. He finished his career working for 11 years as Associate Medical Director for the Scottish National Telephone Triage service, NHS 24, before finally returning to face to face practice as a locum in his local GP practice on one of the Scottish islands. His medical interests are widespread and include training in homeopathy, medical hypnosis, pre-hospital care as well as his expertise in clinical algorithm and computer systems development, a field where words  and their use is critical to success. During his time in Orkney he also trained as a Reader in the Church of Scotland and lead worship in several congregations across the islands. He has always been deeply interested in people and in the relationship between their whole well-being and the physical illnesses. An acute observer of people and places he blends all his training and experience together when working as a GP.

When not actively being a doctor he likes to try out many creative and outdoor pursuits. He is an able singer, knitter, fisherman and spends a lot of time ripping out and repairing his old Victorian home where he lives with his wife and eight children, six of his own and his nephew and niece. 

Current Publication: 

CLOSE TO WHERE THE HEART GIVES OUT: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF AN ORKNEY DOCTOR - Michael O'Mara -  2019

As a young boy, Malcolm Alexander knew exactly what, and who, he wanted to be. He dreamed of becoming a doctor; he was mesmerized by the process of illness and obsessed with preventing it. He wanted to help others.

In his thirties, Malcolm gave up his job in suburban Glasgow when a persistent seed that had been growing inside him started to bloom, disrupting the foundations of his life. When he saw the job advert, 'urgent: island doctor needed', he applied immediately. What he didn't anticipate was how much Orkney would affect his family, for better or worse.

In stories that range from the humorous to the deeply moving, Malcolm describes what it's like adjusting to life without modern conveniences and to the extreme - and constantly changing - weather; and what it means to be providing the best medical care to the local population with limited resources. Which often includes the wildlife as well.

Malcolm's journey evokes the awe that the Orkney landscape can inspire, as well as the challenges of island life and the demons that the dark, cold winter months can give birth to. Gripping and beautifully written, Close to Where the Heart Gives Out reminds us of the importance of listening to our heart, as well as to the rhythms of the landscape.

Praise:

'Wind-whipped and salt-stung, Malcolm's account of island life is both grounding and immensely heart-warming. Malcolm Alexander is to GPs what James Herriot is to vets.' - Matt Gaw, author of The Pull of the River

'I love the descriptions of the landscape and everyday life' - Dolly Alderton, bestselling author of Everything I Know About Love

'A fascinating, funny and utterly heart-warming family adventure. Beautifully written and completely unforgettable.' - Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper Of Lost Things

'[A] fascinating memoir... An ode to island life in all its glorious foibles and heart-soaring delights.' - Herald Scotland

'An utterly enchanting casebook' - Daily Mail