Practice history

Late 20s - Late 80s

In 1928 a certain Dr Hamilton sold his practice at 92 Mansfield Road to Dr Roy Carson. This was in the days before the National Health Service, when retiring doctors could sell the goodwill of their practice. Dr Carson later purchased a newly built house at 858 Woodborough Road so that he could marry his childhood sweetheart, Eileen. As there was more housing development going on around his house Dr Carson started seeing patients there as well as at Mansfield Road, thus starting a “branch” surgery.

In about 1936, Roy took his cousin Dr Murray Carson into partnership with him. Murray was called up during the war and Roy carried on single-handed until he returned when the war ended. However, Murray left in 1948 for health reasons.

In 1948 Dr Tom Blakely joined the practice. It seems that he did not get on with the other partners, and he left in 1958.

In 1954 Dr Ian Loch joined the practice. I understand that one of the conditions of partnership was that he bought 858 Woodborough Road from Dr Carson, and continued to allow patients to be seen there. Later on he bought another house, and the whole ground floor of 858 Woodborough Road was converted for use as a surgery.

In 1960 Dr Carson retired and Ian Loch invited his old RAF colleague Dr Peter Lawson to join the partnership. Thus began the partnership of “Loch and Lawson” which lasted for twenty five years.

The two partners alternated between the two surgeries, but by this time there were more patients to be seen at Woodborough Road than at Mansfield Road. In 1973 Dr Marian Guess, who had previously been a trainee in the practice, joined the practice to work part-time at Woodborough Road. A small extension was built at the rear of the Woodborough Road (Mapperley) surgery for her consulting room.

In 1982 Dr Guess left and Dr Mary Hepden was taken into partnership to work part-time at Mapperley. In October 1985 Ian Loch retired and Dr Mike Leuty entered the partnership to work full-time.

By this time the premises at 92 Mansfield Road had become dilapidated. In the 1960s there had been plans for a new Civic Centre (where Trent University now stands) which would have included accommodation for the practice, but this never materialised. In 1986 the practice moved from the Mansfield Road surgery to the newly-built Victoria Health Centre on Glasshouse Street. The old building has since been demolished.

Early 90s - present day

Accommodation at the Mapperley surgery was now cramped as it only occupied the ground floor of the building. In 1993 extensive renovation was carried out, a new extension was built at the rear and the upper floors were incorporated into the surgery. Now, over twenty years later, the accommodation is again becoming cramped.

In June 1992 Peter Lawson reduced his workload to part-time and Dr Tim Connery joined the practice as a full-time partner. Peter retired in April 1994 and Dr Jean Shaw joined the practice to work part-time at Victoria.

The practice had been involved with training new GPs since the Nottingham Vocational Training Scheme began in the late 1960s. Mike Leuty took over from Peter Lawson as the official trainer in 1992. Because of increasing workload in general practice, we stopped training in April 2005. Dr Husein Mawji, who had previously been one of our Registrars (trainees) joined the practice in that month.

Mary Hepden retired in December 2008, at which point Tim Connery took over her part-time workload at Mapperley and Dr Farah Elias joined us as a full-time partner. To help with the increasing workload, Dr Annie Gemmill joined us in December 2009 as a part-time partner working at Mapperley. Tim Connery retired in May 2010 and was replaced by Dr Karen Jenkins as a part-time partner working at Mapperley.

The practice had always been named after the partners, but by 2011 we had six partners and the name was getting long and unwieldy. We decided to rename the practice “Victoria & Mapperley” after the two premises from which we operate.

In December 2011 Annie Gemmill had to leave the practice as she moved to Scotland, while Mike Leuty reduced his workload to part-time and only saw patients at Victoria. We welcomed Dr Catherine Worsey and Dr Lucy Gaden who each work part-time at both Victoria and Mapperley.

In December 2013 Karen Jenkins left the practice because of increased family commitments, and in January 2014 we welcomed Dr Lubna Baig to work part-time at Mapperley.

In April 2014 Mike Leuty and Jean Shaw retired and were replaced by Dr Beth Adams and Dr Cassandra Nightingale, who each work part-time at both Victoria and Mapperley.

Looking back I am struck by the pace of change in recent times. In the 1960s there were just two doctors, now there are seven. The partnership of Loch and Lawson lasted for twenty five years and I worked with Mary Tim and Jean for fourteen years, but now many of the partners have been in the practice less than four years. I wait to see what the future holds with interest.