Dr Rathborne's Retirement

We are writing to inform you of an important change at our practice. After nearly three decades of dedicated service as a GP Partner, Dr Rathborne will be retiring from full time practice at the end of August and relocating to Cornwall to work as a locum GP.

During his distinguished career with us, Dr Rathborne has provided exceptional care to countless patients and has been an integral part of our practice family. While we will miss his expertise and compassionate approach to patient care, we wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement and his new chapter in Cornwall.

Continuity of Care

We want to reassure you that your healthcare will continue without interruption. We have been successful in recruiting two new GPs who will not only cover Dr Rathborne's sessions but also provide additional GP capacity to better serve our growing patient population.

What happens next:

• Dr Rathborne will continue to see patients until the end of August
• Our new GPs will begin their roles in September, to ensure seamless transition
• Patients currently under Dr Rathborne's care will be allocated a new named GP
• We will be writing to affected patients individually in the coming weeks to inform them of their new named GP assignment

Important: We ask that patients do not contact the surgery to request changes to other GPs currently working at the practice. We are unable to accommodate such requests as patient numbers must be split equitably across all GPs based on their number of sessions.

Farewell Message Book

From next week, we will have a message book available at Reception for any patients who wish to leave Dr Rathborne a goodbye message. We know many of you have built meaningful relationships with Dr Rathborne over the years, and this will provide an opportunity to share your thoughts and well wishes.

Your Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, please don't hesitate to contact our reception team. We are committed to ensuring that the change in your care is as smooth as possible.

We thank Dr Rathborne for his years of outstanding service and dedication to our patients and practice. 

We look forward to introducing you to our new team members who will continue to uphold the high standards of care you expect and deserve.

Yours sincerely,

Springfield Surgery Team

Published: Jul 25, 2025