Herefordshire doctor retires after 21 years in NHS (From Hereford Times)

Herefordshire doctor retires after 21 years in NHS

7:00am Friday 22nd January 2010 in

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A DOCTOR who has been looking after people with mental health problems in Herefordshire for 21 years has retired from the NHS.

Dr Chris Thomas has been consultant psychiatrist at the Stonebow Unit in Hereford for all that time, as well as being medical director of health with the primary care trust for a period of 15 years.

With a new organisation being appointed to run mental health services in the county, Dr Thomas said he believed it was the right time for him to retire.

He qualified as a doctor 31 years ago and worked for 10 years in Leicester before taking up the appointment of consultant psychiatrist in Hereford.

Dr Thomas said there had been changes in mental health services over the years, one of the more important being that patients now had a chance to be more involved in making decisions about their treatment and future.

But at times there was still too much beaurocracy in health services, often overlooking what was best for individual patients.

Dr Thomas, from Marden, is not moving away after retirement.

He feels at home in Herefordshire and will be spending more of his time playing golf and bridge, and reading.