The Della Fish Foundation : Charity number 1204680 enquiries@thedellafishfoundation.co.uk

Educational Opportunities

for Postgraduate Medical Education in the Moral Mode of Practice


Welcome to The Della Fish Foundation

A charity committed to the promotion, development, and advancement of medical education for the benefit of society. As a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), our core aims are to nurture the development of medical practitioners through the provision of worthwhile education and research. The foundation is driven by a profound dedication to the betterment of healthcare services and outcomes for patients, service users, their families, and carers, as well as society as a whole.

At The Della Fish Foundation, we believe in the transformative power of education, recognising its pivotal role in shaping a brighter future for healthcare. Join us on this journey as we collaborate, educate, and inspire, working towards a world where the pursuit of medical knowledge translates into tangible improvements in the quality of care provided to those who need it most.

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Madelaine Ann Fish (Della)

27th July 1943 - 13th August 2022



A Big Presence even in her Absence

My dear friend and colleague Madelaine Ann Fish (Della) died peacefully at home on 13th August 2022. She leaves an enormous gap. She lived a full life and was always true to her principles. Talented and brave she encouraged us to live well and to see the world, practically and philosophically in new ways. Her professional ideas were firmly grounded in her belief that ‘educational questions are not to be answered but addressed!’.

Her personal credo for her ideals in education was:



I have pioneered the ideas about education in the moral mode of practice for postgraduate medicine (see Fish, 2012). In that publication I also argued for a virtues-based curriculum for doctors (as opposed to a competencies one) and suggested that it should be based on the ideas of Aristotle and the Thomist explication of Christianity, which I have found to be commonly accepted across the mono-theistic religions, the work of other spiritual thinkers and generally in civilised societies. Our shared philosophy may be seen at https://www.ed4medprac.co.uk/

We are delighted to share with you a selection of Artwork Della left to the Foundation for our enjoyment and for use as a resource in education. Della's artwork has also been used to illustrate this website and we have developed one of her illustrations into a new logo for the Foundation.

View here

We would also like to share with you a spreadsheet detailing Della's book collection, please email us if you wish to borrow or purchase a book.

Download here

Linda de Cossart CBE
- Chairman