Tributes as Portesham Surgery's receptionist Pip retires

More and 150 patients, staff and friends joined together in Portesham Village Hall to wish her well.

The doctors praised her total dedication to her work and the practice manager Alison Dunbar described her as ‘a mother figure who keeps us all on our toes’. Instead of a carriage clock or a garden bench, Pip asked for her retirement collection to be donated to Dors to India, a charity which raises money to pay for the education of Indian schoolgirls.

Pip is retraining as a volunteer for HomeStart, a charity which offers support and advice to families moving in to the area. Practice manager Alison said that staff and patients will miss Pip hugely but they know she will tackle her new challenges with the same enthusiasm she brought to work every day for 25 years. Pip started work for the original partner, Dr Craig Rankin, 25 years ago when he needed someone to type his letters. She worked from home on her old portable typewriter at first, but stepped in to help on reception in the old surgery in Long Bredy when the receptionist broke her leg. Alison said: “Soon she was an indispensable part of surgery life, learning the ropes from scratch and dealing with everything from writing up notes on the old cards, mixing up ointments, even delivering medications to patients along with the meat from her husband’s butcher’s shop in Abbotsbury.”

She added: “Things have changed beyond recognition over the years. “The practice now has three partners and moved to bespoke premises in Portesham 11 years ago. “Computer records have long since replaced the old handwritten medical cards, and every day it seems there is a new computer programme to master or training course to attend. Pip has risen to every challenge, but never forgets the essence of surgery life: looking after the patients. “A resident of Portesham, she knows most of the Surgery’s 3,000 patients by name and whenever any of the other staff need to know something, the refrain goes “Ask Pip, she’ll know.”