Dr Gail Milligan worked as a GP at Camberley Health Centre
(Picture: Christopher Mulligan)A Surrey GP has died after “the pressure of the job finally got to her”, her husband has shared in an emotional online post.
Dr Gail Milligan’s body was found in a forest after she went missing for 24 hours on Wednesday, Christopher Milligan shared on social media.
“Her job as a partner at a GP surgery became overwhelming. Especially during the pandemic,” he said.
“We are in no doubt that the job made her ill.”
As well as dealing with patients and deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Milligan said his wife of 30 years was responsible for training multiple GPs and was working for numerous medical organisations.
She worked at Camberley Health Centre in Surrey.
Mr Milligan had posted a message about his wife in a private GP online group, but it has since been widely shared on social media.
“The pressure of not making mistakes, and the endless emails and paperwork meant that for the last few years of her life she’d been neglecting herself,” he wrote.
He said Gail would often work long days and her mental health had deterioated. An email she received last Sunday is what triggered a “deep, deep depression”.
“This was not a cry for help. This was clearly the only way she could see her suffering stopping.
“If you knew my wife, you’d know how far from normal any this was for her. She was so proud of our boys.”
Mr Milligan had a strong message for anyone heard “banging on about lay doctors”.
“Please stop and think about what happened to my wife,” he urged.
“My boys have lost their mother, and I have lost my best friend.”
A private GP, Dr Kartik Modha, tweeted: “The pressure NHS GPs are under is immense. It needs urgent action.”
Devastating post on TGG today about a GP who has died by suicide 😢
— Dr Kartik Modha (Tiko) 💙 (@DrKartikModha) August 4, 2022
Consent from Gail’s husband for these screenshots to be shared. The pressure NHS GPs are under is immense. It needs urgent action.
What’s the plan @BMA_GP @rcgp @NHSEngland? 👀 pic.twitter.com/5hK7YeUmcx
A message posted on Camberley Health Centre’s website said: “Dr Milligan was a beloved member of the practice and will be sorely missed by staff and the patients whom she supported and cared for with such dedication.
It added that Dr Milliagan was “a dedicated and passionate GP and was much loved and respected by patients and colleagues alike. Her commitment and expertise in her various roles across primary care and medical education were clear to all”.
Patients have been invited to write online memorial tributes which will be shared with her family.
“We know that some members of the community will be impacted by this sad news and so we want to remind you of the support available within Surrey Heath,” the practice said.
Dr Milligan qualified at Manchester University in 1998. She trained as a GP in Reading, and joined Camberley Health Centre in 2003.
Anyone affected by the issues in this story can contact Samaritans on 116 123.
