SELBY’S first ever female GP is retiring after nearly 28 years at the town’s Beech Tree practice.

Dr Jane Scott, who leaves at the end of March, has been responsible for developing and leading the women’s health service at Beech Tree, specialising in menopause issues and contraception.

She said she joined Beech Tree after 18 months trying to be an anaesthetist and had ‘absolutely no regrets’ about her change of career.

“The thing which attracted me to general practice was the ability to build long term relationships with patients and their families, and also the variety of different work available, such as working with the hospital and minor injuries service there,” she said.

“I’ve obviously participated in modernising the practice along the way, setting up a robust staffing system, appointing an excellent practice manager and computerisation of our services. I’m very proud to be part of this change within an organisation that means so much to me.”

She said that when she joined the practice in 1990, there were just six partners and two practice nurses and team now included more than 50 staff, and it was now time for younger doctors to have the opportunity to develop the service.

“I’m sure they will keep up the good work and continue to look after each other. The greatest strength of the practice is that we all care about each other and all of our patients.”

Meanwhile, Beech Tree’s GP Partner Dr Nigel Wells is taking up a new role this April as clinical lead of the local commissioning body.

He will be the new Clinical Chair of the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), a brand new role which will see him lead on the clinical strategy for the whole of the Vale of York community.

He said this meant he could be “part of the solution”, rather than just a GP on the outside asking questions. “I’ll be focusing on the clinical commissioning intentions of the CCG and relationships with key stakeholders such as the councils, charities, mental health providers and hospitals.

“This role is about helping to change the dynamics of the group and enabling it to be more clinically led and focussed.

“It’s going to be tough, as there are huge financial pressures, but we need to concentrate on assuring the quality of healthcare across all sectors, improving access to innovative services and to primary care which are all important to patients,” he said. “I’m always looking for new challenges and when this role came up, I felt I just couldn’t not do it “

Dr Wells will be committing two days a week to his new role at the CCG and working at Beech Tree Surgery, seeing patients for the remaining time.