Long-serving doctor bids farewell

12:51pm Friday 8th August 2008

When Steve Pickles puts away his stethoscope for the last time today it will be the patients he will miss most of all.

"It sounds corny, I know, but in all these years as a GP I have made strong attachments - I have doctored many people from babies to adults. I have been able to make friends and fortunately helped them medically as well," he says.

"And since people have heard I'm retiring it's been really hard work - I've never had as many cuddles in my life."

His time in the profession goes back so far he even worked in the closing days of the old Victoria Hospital, in Keighley, as a medical student in 1969. With his long hair, checked trousers and Jesus sandals, he went on to tread the wards of the newly opened Airedale General Hospital at Steeton, in 1970.

Even today, people recall the hippy-style young medical student on his "work experience" from Newcastle University.

He was thrown in at the deep end, working with only two consultants, a senior house officer and one registrar. He went on to become one of the first trainee doctors - a house officer - at Airedale in 1973.

It was while training that he got to know Cross Hills when he was attached to the GP practice in Holme Lane for six months, as part of his work as a senior houseman.

And in 1976, he began working in the village as a GP from two prefabricated buildings.

He recalls fondly those days as a "family doctor" doing surgery during the day and then on call out of hours.

Today, Cross Hills Health Centre has nine partners, 12,200 patients - up from about 6,000 in the 1970s - in a modern building.

Dr Pickles took the lead managing the development of the building, which was extended again in 1997 and the final phase is due to be completed later this summer.

"Control of the development fell naturally because I live in a farmhouse which I converted and enjoyed the experience. I did things like navvying, joinery and plumbing," says the 59-year-old father of three adult boys who lives on Glusburn Moor.

Dr Pickles has seen many changes, especially in the workings and management of the practice - including fund-holding and commissioning of services.

"I think we have been victims of too much politics - too many directives which don't always suit the needs of local services," he says. He supports the monitoring of doctors' performance, but believes it would still not foil the likes of multi-murderer Harold Shipman. "A lot of what we go through now just would not have picked him out," says Dr Pickles, who has also been medical officer at Malsis School, Glusburn, for 25 years He is aware of the latest initiative by a doctor who has set up a website to allow patients to rate individual doctors on-line.

"There is a lot of doctor-bashing at the moment. I'm probably being cynical, but I believe much of it comes from the Government. Doctors are already appraised annually by independent GPs and every five years they undergo re-accreditation," he says.

"But the most important asset a doctor has is experience. It has been said that you only became a good GP after 10 years - 10 years of understanding people's lives."

Retirement will mean he can swap his stethoscope for a golf club, don his boots to enjoy more of the Yorkshire Dales and work as a crewman sailing with a friend.

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