Changes in EK
By 1968 Dr McLaren had retired and Dr Mullen immigrated to Australia and I took over the running of the practice.
When I'd first went into practice some of the methods of the pre-NHS days had still been alive.
In those days you needed to attract patients as there was fierce competition between practices.
GPs would do anything in their power to make themselves more attractive – especially to those who were better off.
Even after the NHS came into being some patients thought they could buy better care and some GPs still had private patients who paid for special treatment.
I was never involved in that and when I took over the practice I decided that would end.
However, I never received one complaint from anybody when I made it be known there would be no preferential treatment for wealthy patients.
Training Practice
I applied to be a GP trainer and, after completing a one-year course, the practice was accepted as a training practice.
This meant we had to keep up a very high standard as it was vetted on a regular basis and if it did not come up to scratch you might lose your training position.
Other doctors to work at the practice were Dr George Dyker and his wife Dr Elspeth Dyker – who were both partners - Dr Robina Moar, Dr Keith Morris, Dr Allan Cairns, who immigrated to Canada, and Dr Jim Thomson.
Consequences of the new Health Centre on local business
In 1974 we moved to the Hunter Health Centre in Andrew Street.
I was involved in the planning committee and we were supposed to have an input in the design of the centre but they didn’t seem to pay too much attention.
When the centre first opened there were carpets in the consulting rooms as they insisted they wanted it to feel homely.
Unfortunately it wasn’t long before the carpets were ruined by guts and blood which were spilled so it wasn’t ideal.
After the move our old practice was converted into a shop – now a cushion and curtain shop.
But the move had a calamitous affect on the village.
A lot of businesses closed as most patients had used the local shops when they came to the practice.
When the new health centre opened most people started shopping at the town centre instead.