A doctor who has worked at the Andover Health Centre for three decades has stepped down as the senior partner, saying she’s leaving behind her ‘second family’.

Doctor Rosemary Griffiths, 67 had mixed emotions about retiring: “For some people being a doctor is a job, but for me, it’s been more of a calling, it’s in my blood, I wanted to go into medicine from the age of six,  when I had to spend some time in hospital.”

Dr Griffiths, has been a GP since 1986 and began practising in Andover in 1991: “I always laugh, because during my interview I was told we’d soon be moving to shiny new premises.

"Well, those new ‘premises' were officially opened in December 2022, so it did eventually happen after 32 years!”

(Image: Andover Health Centre) Looking back at her long career she explained: “There have been so many changes over the years, the most memorable being the shift from dealing with secondary care to primary care patients.

"We now look after many people with chronic long-term conditions, patients with diabetes for example would have been treated in hospital as outpatients, but that’s no longer the case.”

A mother to four children, Dr Griffiths has three grandchildren and is known for her energy. One of her colleagues, Dr Ruth Verrier-Jones said Dr Griffith’s departure marked the end of an era: “She’s lovely and has been a true family doctor and seen generations of the same families over the years. It really is the end of an era and we can barely think of life here without her.”

But Dr Griffiths isn’t quite ready to retire completely from the medical profession: “I am going to carry on as a GP locum in Andover and will be available for ad hoc work and filling in for colleagues who are off sick or on holiday.”

Colleagues and patients have been marking their doctors’ retirement with cards and gifts left at the reception and a celebratory party was thrown in Dr Griffith’s honour:

“It was a lovely occasion and I was presented with a contribution to some garden furniture which I really wanted.”