AFTER 25 years of service to her patients at Burn Brae Medical Group, a Hexham GP is preparing to retire.

Dr Noreen Powell has been a much-loved and popular face at the practice for a generation, and was awarded a fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2015 in recognition of her services to general practice.

After training in Leeds and West Yorkshire, Dr Powell worked as a GP in Yorkshire and the Isle of Man before moving to Hexham and joining the practice as a partner in 1993.

“Things have certainly changed a lot over the years,” explained Dr Powell, who has dealt with approximately 125,000 patient consultations during her career.

“In those days we had to do our own on-call for the practice in the local area and we would carry pagers and then the huge brick-like phones.

“We would be out in all weathers, but I’ve always counted myself lucky for joining such a well-established team.

“At the heart of it all are the patients, many of whom I’ve seen go through life events and grow from babies into adults.”

Another passion has been helping to train medical students, something she was involved with between 2002 and 2012. Among her highlights, she credits being part of the Burn Brae team, which received an outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission two years ago.

The staff at the practice includes five partners, 13 administration staff, three nurses and one healthcare assistant.

“I feel very fortunate to have had a job which has been so fulfilling and rewarding, and it has been a tremendous privilege to serve my patients over many years,” added Dr Powell.

“It has and always will be people that make me tick and it will be people that I miss when I retire.

“I know the practice at Burn Brae is in good hands and wish my colleagues and patients well.”

Dr Powell is looking forward to developing her creative side with art classes in retirement and to doing more cycling and walking with husband, Richard, in the outdoors they both love.

Having previously spent time training at the practice, Dr David Jones (32), will rejoin the Burn Brae team as a GP partner when Dr Powell leaves next month.