Jonathan Alper

Jonathan Alper (“Jonny”), founder of the Taunton staff, associate specialist, and specialty doctors (SAS) group, was for many years the chairman of the regional SAS committee (SASC) for the south-west and an ever present member of the trust’s local negotiating committee (LNC). A man of boundless energy, Jonny was always the first to comment on any new policy document, taking the trouble to make a detailed annotated appraisal usually produced the same night as the meeting.

He was full of insight, broad of vision, and inclusive in all that he did. To walk through the corridors with him was a delight as he stopped many times to chat with fellow workers. He regarded the whole hospital as an extended family and took a genuine interest in details such as the porter’s daughter doing an exam and the secretary’s mum being in care, a trait that I am sure endeared him to many.

Born to Jewish parents in South Africa, he qualified in 1985 and trained originally in surgery before switching to anaesthetics after a placement …