He has cared for a community in Bristol over the course of five decades - and now tributes are flooding in for Dr Dougal Darvill, who dedicated his life to the people of Hartcliffe. He began as a GP at the Hartwood Healthcare practice back in the late 1980s, and continued there through the 90s, 2000s and 2010s before finally retiring on Thursday, after treating generations of Hartcliffe’s people.
Friends, family, colleagues and patients have paid glowing tributes to Dr Darvill, who many said wanted absolutely no fuss at the end of a long career of service to the community. But his colleagues were determined that his retirement - albeit one where he will return regularly to help out - would not go unmarked.
A post on the Hartwood Healthcare Facebook page announced Dr Darvill’s retirement, and that was met with dozens of patients expressing their love for the popular doctor. “For the past couple of years he has been mainly doing managerial work when we were without a manager, and you may still see him in the corridor on the odd occasion as he will continue to help out in the background on a very part-time basis,” said the post.
