Perthshire Advertiser

Popular GP hangs up his stethoscop­e

- MELANIE BONN

A Highland Perthshire GP has stepped down to enjoy retirement from his community surgery after 25 years.

Dr Jamie MacHugh made a fond farewell to colleagues and patients at Atholl Medical Practice in Pitlochry on Tuesday, April 27, receiving cards, cake and a collection from locals grateful for his assistance over the years.

Following his last day, the country doc, who will continue to live in the town with his wife and son, gave thanks.

He said: “I had an amazing last day at work yesterday, and am so touched by all the lovely cards, messages and gifts from everyone.

“The gift handed to me from the community was unbelievab­ly generous and a huge thank you to everyone who kindly contribute­d.

“I will really miss working at Atholl Medical Centre, and wish them all the best in the future.”

Dr Jamie came to the Atholl Medical Practice in Pitlochry in November 1995 after being a GP in Bo’ness for seven years before that.

He did his medical training at St Andrews and Manchester University.

Having been born in the Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital delivered by well-loved local doctor Watty Yellowlees no less - Jamie (61) told the PA that coming to practice medicine in Perthshire was a natural homecoming.

As lead GP with Dr Douglas Kennedy, Jamie worked on the concept for the modern community hospital/GP practice/dementia unit that was built in Pitlochry’s Ferry Road at a cost of £7 million, and opened by Nicola Sturgeon, then cabinet secretary for health and wellbeing, in August 2008.

“We wanted to have everything together in one place, surgery, hospital, ambulance station, OT, podiatry, dementia care,” he explained.

“Originally the care home was designed to go on top of the hospital unit but that was modified and Balhousie built a separate building. Sadly we lost the dementia unit.”

With his colleagues, Jamie battled through the unpreceden­ted time of the pandemic.

“COVID has lead to a complete change in how we do medicine,” he said. “There has been a swift move to ‘telemedici­ne’.

“We try and triage by phone, there are restrictio­ns on how many people can be in the waiting room and to a large degree we had to move away from home visits and face-toface appointmen­ts.

“Pitlochry hospital had an outbreak of coronaviru­s which was a very frightenin­g time for patients and staff. Fortunatel­y for getting the outbreak contained, the hospital has individual single rooms not a ward.

“Some staff have got ‘long COVID’ and this will be a period of time that will haunt everybody for a long time.”

Looking back on 25 years as a GP in Pitlochry, Jamie said some of the home deliveries he had attended had been “delightful, but naturally anxiety inducing” too.

“One home birth at Blair Atholl springs to mind. It was ultimately successful but quite scary for the practice nurse and I at the time.”

Extremes of weather in Highland Perthshire have played a part in Jamie’s experience of country call-outs: “In my first winter, 1995, everybody seemed to be getting unwell over the three days around Christmas and the temperatur­e got as low as minus 20, minus 25 degrees.

“I remember I had a diesel car which I was grateful continued to start. At a house call to Blair Atholl at 6pm the thermomete­r read minus six when I went in the house and half an hour later when I came out, it had plummeted to minus 12.

“One time when I was called for at Calvine, I was met at the road by a Land Rover and taken up a track in the back of that. The visit took two hours before I was back in my own car.

“Doing emergency medicine cover has led me to attend some serious RTAs. Very sadly I was at the scene when a motorcycli­st came off between Logierait and Grandtully. And the crash involving the Israeli family at the Ballinluig A9 junction. “In my time at Pitlochry I have marvelled at the contributi­on played by the SCAA helicopter, which we have not had for very long but in such a spread out area is a godsend.”

Jamie considered his principal workplace, the medical centre. “I’ve been very lucky, the doctors work well together, the administra­tion team has been really good, taken together, it is like a friendly family to work with. “I’m particular­ly pleased that the Atholl Medical Centre has made an effort to stick with a model of ‘continuity of care’ when many other practices have moved away from that.”

For the majority of his time in Pitlochry, Jamie worked alongside his wife Allison who was head of occupation­al therapy.

Allison’s deteriorat­ing health has added to Jamie’s desire to retire and spend more time with her as well as pursue his interests in photograph­y, mountain climbing , gardening and travelling.

 ??  ?? Allison and Dr Jamie MacHugh worked together in Pitlochry and right, the surgery staff gave Dr Jamie a cake on his last day
Allison and Dr Jamie MacHugh worked together in Pitlochry and right, the surgery staff gave Dr Jamie a cake on his last day
 ??  ?? Team
Team
 ??  ?? Departure
Dr Jamie MacHugh at the surgery entrance (centre) with Susan Campbell (left) and Jim Laurenson (right) from Pitlochry and Moulin Community Council
Departure Dr Jamie MacHugh at the surgery entrance (centre) with Susan Campbell (left) and Jim Laurenson (right) from Pitlochry and Moulin Community Council

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