Dr Graeme Abel from Alva Medical Practice has retired after 32 years' service to the community

Dr Graeme Abel came into the practice in 1984 but will hang up his stethoscope this Friday, after 32 years as a partner at Alva Medical Practice.

In that time there has been a lot of changes in general practice, with the surgery on West Johnstone Street seeing its fair share of expansion.

Dr Abel has been on the ground during that evolution and has seen the practice swell to more than double its size.

He told the Advertiser: “It’s been a great place to work; we’ve had some great staff over the years, and the patients have always been friendly as well.

“I’ve been here a long time, but I wouldn’t have swapped it for anything.

“When I first started, I think there was maybe three consulting rooms and six GPs. Now there are 15 GPs in the practice with 11 consulting rooms.

“So we’ve developed well in those years – there has been some big improvements.”

Dr Abel, 58, underwent his GP training at Stobhill Hospital, and spent a year working in Kirkintilloch, before taking up the position as a GP partner in Alva.

As well as his day job, he also lent his skills both to Alloa Athletic as team doctor, and to the Ochils Mountain Rescue Team as a volunteer.

He said: “I was one of the team doctors with the OMRT for about 10 years and was involved in a few searches around the hills on a number of call outs.

“It’s a good bunch of guys there; the training days were always interesting and for a volunteer organisation, they do very well.”

He added: “I was also with Alloa FC in the 90s for about two years or so. 

“The team did reasonably well in that time, with a promotion under my namesake Gregor Abel. It was interesting being involved with the players and helping to get them fit.

"But it was quite challenging too as they obviously didn’t have access to the private health care that those in the Premiership do.”

GP recruitment is a long-running concern in the profession, though Dr Abel argues the Alva practice has been spared the worst of it so far.

However, he admits the lack of GPs will remain an issue in Clacks and across the country in the immediate future.

He said: “We’ve been pretty lucky in Alva. 

“We’ve not really had too many problems in recruiting GPs.

“One of the good things about us here is that we’re a teaching practice. But the shortage will be a major issue in Scotland soon.

“Partnerships mean a lot more responsibility. People often forget that being a partner in a practice means you have to deal with hiring staff, building maintenance as well as helping the patients.

“That doesn’t really appeal to young doctors nowadays, who maybe just want to do the medical part of it.”

A recent report from the Royal College of General Practitioners found that parts of Clackmannanshire may become seriously short of GPs in the next few years.

The Tillicoultry practice is said to be cutting down on routine appointments and urging people who can’t make appointments to ensure they cancel them in advance.

Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, has voice her concerns of the impending shortage and said: “Unless there is real change, strains on GP practices across the region will only continue to grow.

“GPs are central to the viability of rural communities throughout Clackmannanshire. We need to train more GPs whilst making healthcare provision in rural areas an attractive career option for those studying medicine.

“The Scottish Government also needs to look at other strategies for decreasing dependence on GPs including the use of pharmacists to prescribe drugs for minor conditions.”

The British Medical Association (BMA) also believes “significant additional funding and resources” is key to preventing even further problems.

Dr Alan McDevitt, chair of the associations’ Scottish GP committee, said: “GPs across Scotland are facing relentless workloads and this is resulting in many GPs choosing to leave the profession.

“It is essential that Scottish general practice is seen as an attractive career choice and we are working with the Scottish Government to address these issues.”

Though recruitment lies with the practices, NHS Forth Valley said it will assist where it can.

A spokesperson for the health board said: “We are committed to supporting and enhancing primary care within NHS Forth Valley and have set up a sustainability group so that GPs can discuss with us at an early stage if they foresee difficulties.

“This enables us to look at ways to help them which could include encouraging working together with other practices, employing salaried GPs and promoting NHS Forth Valley as an attractive place to work.”