A POPULAR and long-serving Lydney doctor has seen his last patient at his surgery – but he is hoping to play a part in the future development of health services in the Forest.

Dr Roy Sharma has been a GP at the Lydney Health Centre for 34 years but on Friday dozens of colleagues, patients and friends came together to wish him a happy retirement at the age of 62.

As well as spending more time with wife Julia and indulging in his passions of photography, travel and diving he is keen to join the Gloucestershire Care Commissioning Group.

He said: “I hope to be part of the team planning the next five to 10 years of health delivery in the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire.

“Hopefully we will be able to make something that works.

“It may look different to now because we are at the stage where a lot of doctors are reaching my age and they will be finishing.

“The current training posts in Gloucestershire which are looking for doctors who have already qualified but want to be GPs – that is starting (in) three to four years – is only half full which is quite scary.

“Hopefully we’ll attract good people into Lydney because it is a pretty smart practice.”

Dr Sharma, who lives in Pillowell, said it had been “an enormous privilege” to be part of people’s lives although he would miss his ‘ward rounds’ in Tesco.

“My patients have been brilliant – they’ve looked after me more than I deserve and I’ve tried to look after them.”

He also paid tribute to his partners “who have always been a team I hugely respect and I’ve also relied on.”

Dr Sharma said he was grateful to his ‘dragons’ – the receptionists – “who have always given me support, cups of tea and have been a source of infinitely varied excuses to my long-suffering patients as to why I’m running late.”

He also said he was “immensely proud” of being part of the health service.

He said: “There are a lot of people with real, deep needs and we are so lucky to have a health service where you can get help without forking out a fortune at the point of contact.

“I think that is fabulous and we should never lose sight of that.”

Dr Roz Bounds said she would “miss my mate across the corridor.”

She said: “Roy brought an enthusiasm and commitment not only to his medical career but to the people of Lydney.

“He has been called a man of the people and this is so true – not only has he been a talented medic but he threw himself into service for this town.

“He has brought humour and commonsense and he is well-loved.”

She also revealed that when he first started at the health centre in 1982, he set a few pulses racing.

She said: “I have it on good authority all the ladies in the town went a bit crazy for this new man about town.”

Derek Pomeroy, the president of Lydney Rugby Club, spoke on behalf of patients, thanking Dr Sharma for all that he had done for them.