A long-serving Market Drayton GP is looking forward to indulging in his love of theatre when he retires next month.
Dr Robin Wood will leave Drayton Medical Practice at the end of December after 35 years of seeing patients in the town.
Dr Wood, 61, who is married with two children and two grandchildren, was the guest at a Margaret Drayton Patient Group meeting on Wednesday where he talked about his career.
He said: “I made the decision to retire between six and nine months ago and all my friends who have retired from general practice said ‘when the time is right, you’ll know.’
“The time does come when you feel that after 35 years, it’s time to do other things.
“Over the last 18 months, working three days a week has given me a lot more time to pursue other interests and I’m looking forward to doing more of it in the future.
“I look forward to going to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and London’s West End as enjoying the arts is something I’m keen to do.”
Dr Wood, originally from West Yorkshire, is the son of a GP and qualified to practise medicine at the University of Manchester in 1971.
He joined Drayton Medical Practice three years later when it was based in Frogmore Road, before moving to its present site in Maer Lane four years ago.
Dr Wood said: “It was always my ambition to be a GP as I was more interested in primary care and seeing patients.
“General practice has changed so much and it’s a very different business to the one I set out in 35 years ago.
“Back then, if you were seeing 15 to 18 patients at the surgery, you were brought 15 to 18 sets of notes which all had to be filled in and filed.
“Now, everything is on computer and we’re entirely dependent on it, which is very different.”
Dr Wood will be joined by family, friends and colleagues for a retirement party at Hawkstone Park next month.
He said: “What I will miss are the people and patients I’ve been seeing for 20 to 30 years, along with the regular contact with them.”