A GP who has served remote communities in the Yorkshire Dales for almost two decades has paid tribute to his patients and colleagues as he prepares to leave, describing himself as “a fortunate man”.
Dr Mike Brookes, who has been based at Reeth Medical Centre since 2007, reflected on his career and the community he and his wife Marie, the practice manager, have served in a heartfelt farewell message.
The doctor revealed that becoming a GP was not originally part of his plans after leaving medical school.
Instead, he joined the Army with ambitions of specialising in trauma or reconstructive surgery.
However, his experiences during the Iraq conflict changed the course of his career.
“Going to war led to two major changes in my life,” he said.
As the sole doctor in a remote military setting, Dr Brookes found himself responsible for every aspect of soldiers’ health and wellbeing, from routine medical care to serious injuries and emergency planning.
“The breadth of this responsibility opened my eyes to the role of a GP.”
He also drew inspiration from the book A Fortunate Man by John Berger, which tells the story of a rural GP working in the New Forest during the 1960s.
After leaving the Army, Dr Brookes was offered a position in Reeth by Dr Paul Bond and, following Dr Bond’s retirement a year later, he and his wife Marie took over the practice.
“Our philosophy has always been to ask ourselves, ‘Is this the standard of care I would want for my own family?’” he said.
“I hope we have remained true to that principle as much as possible.”
Over the years, he said both the practice team and patients had come to feel like an extended family.
He said the decision to leave has been a difficult one. Dr Brookes noted that the NHS has changed significantly during his time in Reeth, with a move towards larger practices and ongoing difficulties recruiting a successor for the rural surgery.
He said: “Efforts to recruit a successor over the past six years have been unsuccessful. I suspect this is partly because GPs are trained differently today and attitudes towards remote and isolated practice have changed.”
Dr Brookes said he and Marie had been overwhelmed by the support shown by local people in recent weeks after their departure was announced.
“We are deeply grateful for your kind words, the Scenicview picture, the collection, and the book,” he said.
Reflecting on the many messages he had received, he recalled memories, stories and sayings shared by patients over the years, adding that it had been “truly humbling” to hear from former patients and friends.
“Reading through the memories people shared, I was reminded of stories and sayings I had long forgotten— ‘plan for the worst, hope for the best’ or when giving an injection, ‘one of us should look, and I think that ought to be me’.
“I am especially touched that so many people — including former patients and others I have not seen for many years — have taken the time to get in touch. It is truly humbling.
“We will both leave the Dales with many happy memories of our time here and I promise there will be no James Herriot memoirs!”
Looking back on the book that first inspired him to become a GP, Dr Brookes concluded: “Like the doctor whose story inspired me then, I too can say that I have been a fortunate man.”
The collection was organised by Adele Heggie, who worked at the medical centre for ten years before leaving to help run Reeth Post Office, which is owned by her family.
She said both Mike and Marie would be deeply missed.
“People have a very close relationship with Dr Brookes. They think of him as a friend. They come to the Post Office and say ‘oh I’ve just been to see Mike’ as if they’ve just dropped in on him.
“With Marie, people have said her voice on the other end of the phone got them through things. People say in the book how Marie had helped them at times by just being on the other end of the phone, just as much as Mike helps them when they’ve got a medical issue.”
Adele said the local community did not want their departure to go “unnoticed and unmarked”.
She added: “People were coming into the Post Office and asking what they could do, as we need to give Dr Brookes something as a thank you for all the hard work he has done.
“So we had a little book that people would come and sign and we had a collection on the counter that people could put money in. In total, there was £1,105.
“We used the money to buy a framed photo of Reeth taken from Harkerside from the Scenicview Gallery, and we gave the rest to Mike as a gift.”
An agreement has been reached for the Central Dales Practice to run a branch service from the Reeth Medical Centre three days a week.
