Dr Chawda is Retiring – Farewell Message

DR CHAWDA RETIREMENT FAREWELL

MESSAGE

I will be retiring from General Practice in August 2025. I have been at Whitwick Rd Surgery for 30 years now, and a Dr for 35 years.

I joined Whitwick Rd Surgery as a GP Partner in 1995, with Dr Baker, Dr Khirwadkar (now sadly deceased) and Dr Lawrence. Things were very different in those days. I remember, I used to be on call one in six evenings and at weekend, which we shared with a neighbouring practice. My wife sometimes used to chauffeur me in the weekends for my home visits.

Then in 1996, the doctors formed a Cooperative for the out of hours and I remember doing the red eye shifts at night, where we had an on-call bed at Coalville Hospital, which was our base. We still had to work the next day at our practice.

Things changed again in 2004, with the new GP contract. This meant we relinquished working in the evenings and weekend, but increased our daily workload, where GP partners are now working 10-hour days.

There have been many reorganisations during my career. First there was Leicestershire Health, and then Primary Care Groups, Primary Care Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups and now Integrated Care Boards. I am sure there will be another reorganisation in the NHS, for better or worse!

There have been many events which stick in my memory. One was in 2012, when a car went through the wall of my consulting room. I was shocked but had to dust myself down and finish seeing my remaining 8 patients in another room. Luckily, I was on holiday abroad for the following 2 weeks, so missed that I was in local papers and in one national newspaper!

The Covid pandemic has been the most difficult part of my career and has been distressing and difficult for both medical staff and patients; we are still seeing the aftereffects of this today.

I will remember with affection, the baby checks I did, and watching and treating these babies, whilst they were growing up and now these patients are having babies of their own.

I wish to thank all my past and present patients, who have shown me kindness and consideration over the years. I would also like to thank all the past and present staff who I have had the pleasure of working with.

I leave the Practice in very good hands with Dr Melissa Searancke, and the present doctors and staff, who will now be taking the Practice forward.

Take Care and Best Wishes

Nilesh Chawda