MB ChB Liverpool 1950, MD 1960; MRCGP 1958, FRCGP 1971; PhD Manch 1975; FFFP (Hon) 1994.
Kay was born on 17 October 1927. He received his medical education in Liverpool before coming to Manchester where, after a period as senior house officer in ENT surgery at Ashton General Hospital, he settled in general practice. In 1955 Kay began in general practice in Didsbury and was also clinical assistant at Ashton Hospital and later at Wythenshawe Hospital Manchester. Kay's practice saw a large number of maternity cases and the general practice developed to include an ante-natal clinic and family planning clinic. In 1961 Kay purchased a property on Barlow Moor Road which had previously been a doctor's surgery. Kay developed the practice, merging with another practice, gaining a partner (Edward Karpinski) and taking in medical students. In 1971, after some rebuilding and extensions, Kay's practice became known as Barlow Medical Centre. Kay was one of the founder members of the North West Faculty Board of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and later became closely involved with the College, especially in relation to research. He was also a part-time senior research fellow in community medicine at the University of Manchester from 1971, a position which became honorary in 1992. He did important work on the safety of contraceptive pills. Kay retired from general practice in 1999.