Dr Lawrence Gould – Retirement March 2022

Dear Patients,

After working 35 years in the NHS and over 3 decades as a partner at The Stanmore Medical Centre, I am now hanging up my stethoscope and retiring at the end of March this year.

It has been an honor and privilege to work here, it has been very big important part of my life, and I will miss so many things about it.

I hope this will enable me to be able to spend more time with family, travel the world and pursue my hobbies and interests.

Some of you may not know this, my Father was the senior partner here from the very early 1960s and from a very young age I used to come here to help out.

I am grateful to my partners and colleagues who have been a pleasure to work with and given me great support.

I am grateful to my patients for confiding in me, placing their trust in me and for teaching me so much about the human condition.

I have felt hugely rewarded where I have been able to make a positive difference through my advice and treatment.

I have felt humbled by the gratitude and bravery of patients when helping them cope with conditions for which I have no cure.

I have shared laughter with many of you and tears with some of you.

I have treated your parents and your children watching them grow and in some cases now treat their children.

I always wanted to be a Doctor and follow my father into the Practice. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to practice here in Stanmore where I grew up, following on from my father Allen whom some of you still remember.

There have been many changes at The Stanmore Medical over this the years – a lot of them improvements and new services developed by a forward -thinking partnership, others imposed by circumstances beyond our control. However, The Stanmore Medical Centre philosophy of aiming to provide the highest standard of care to its patients has never wavered and I know will continue long after I leave.

The current situation in primary care has never been more demanding and at times is overwhelming. Please be assured that the Stanmore Medical Centre team is working tirelessly to address on a practice level what is a nationwide problem of high patient demand, under-funding and recruitment difficulties which I am sure you have read about in the news. I sympathise with patients who may have difficulty accessing our services but please be understanding when speaking with our wonderful staff who are on the front line of a difficult situation and have to bear the brunt of your frustrations.

The Stanmore Medical Centre has some of the most caring, dedicated and resourceful people I have ever met with a wealth of knowledge, expertise skills and ideas.  I am confident that I leave you in excellent safe hands.

Wishing you all the very best of health

Dr Lawrence Gould