Formerly Consultant Psychiatrist, Marchwood Priory Hospital, Southampton

Dr Austin Tate was born in Shrewsbury on 7 February 1942 and died on 19 February 2006. He attended the Priory School, Shrewsbury and in 1959 Birmingham University where he obtained MB, ChB. His house appointments were at Birmingham General Hospital where he was awarded the George Heaton prize for house officers.

He was commissioned in the Royal Army Medical Corps and following a course in tropical medicine at Millbank was posted to Malaysia where he served for 2 years. Soon afterwards he decided to specialise in psychiatry and in 1969 he began training at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley. He obtained the DPM in 1971 and transferred to the National Health Service (NHS) as a registrar at Knowle Hospital. Three years later, following his appointment as consultant at Knowle, he joined one of the teams developing community psychiatric services in the Southampton district.

In 1979 Austin took leave from the NHS to work in Saudi Arabia. He worked at Al Kharj Hospital, Riyadh and later at the King Khaled National Guard Hospital, Jeddah. He returned to England in 1986 and was appointed the first medical director of a new Priory Hospital unit at Marchwood where he stayed for the rest of his life.

He undertook this new task at Marchwood with energy and vision. Once the basic services were in place he established links with colleagues in the NHS and at Southampton University. He took the clinical lead in the addictions treatment programme and subsequently became involved with the Medical Council on Alcohol and the UK Alcohol Forum, which he chaired from 1996. On several occasions he made contributions to the Radio 4 programme ‘All in the Mind’ on the topic of addiction. As the range of services expanded at Marchwood his qualities of leadership were characterised by an easy-going warmth, sense of humour and calmness in moments of crisis.

He passed his MRCPsych in 1972 and was awarded FRCPsych in 1994. He was Group Director, Priory Hospitals from 1999 to 2003. At Marchwood, he took a keen interest in the social functions, which were stylish and memorable. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Southampton Football Club and by regular attendance at the Dell and St Mary's Stadium he did his best to help the team avoid relegation. He became a specialist advisor to the Football Association, having a particular interest in some of the problems which beset players today.

Austin died at the Countess Mount-batten Hospice, Southampton, as a result of cancer of the thyroid which had been troubling him for over a year. On 2 March 2006 his friends and family gathered at St Johns' Parish Church in the village of Marchwood to pay their respects. Twenty minutes before the service was due to begin the church was full. This was a tribute to how much he was respected and loved. During the service various friends and colleagues drew attention to Austin's achievements and especially his warmth of personality, sound judgement and commitment. His daughter Sara read a poem and there was music in keeping with his particular interests.

Austin is survived by his wife Joan and his children, Justin, Anna and Sara of a previous marriage. Anna is studying medicine at St George's University of London.