After 35 years serving the people of Felixstowe, Dr Stephen Feltwell and Dr Rajiv Chhabra are retiring from Grove Medical Centre at the end of March 2026 — bringing to a close a combined legacy of dedication, innovation, and community service that has shaped healthcare in the town for a generation.

The two GP Partners have informed patients of their decision to leave general practice, with their final day at the surgery on 31st March 2026.

In a heartfelt farewell letter to patients, Dr Feltwell reflected on a career that began on 3rd May 1991, when he joined the old Central Surgery — the now-boarded-up building opposite the Orwell Hotel — replacing Dr Brian Clarke as a Partner.

From pagers to pandemics: 35 years of change

Dr Feltwell's letter charts the extraordinary transformation of general practice over three and a half decades. He arrived in Felixstowe in an era before computers, the internet, or mobile phones. GPs carried pagers the size of house bricks. Prescriptions were handwritten. Home visits were navigated by paper maps — a particular challenge during the heavy snowfall of his first winter, when drifts buried the street signs.

"Looking back at that time, I marvel at how she was able to do this at the same time as having three children under five years old and working as Night Sister in the local hospitals," he wrote of his wife Joyce, who served as an informal on-call receptionist from home in those early years.

Over the decades, the practice grew and evolved. GP fundholding enabled the opening of a branch surgery in Trimley and an in-house physiotherapy department. When fundholding ended, Dr Feltwell took on the task of finding a new permanent home for the practice — a search that, after two failed bids, resulted in the opening of Grove Medical Centre in 2014. The building, designed by an award-winning architect, was developed with meticulous attention to detail: Dr Feltwell, Practice Manager Jenny Molloy, and IT Manager Evans Scott met with the building team on site every week throughout construction.

"An Ant and Dec of local General Practice"

Dr Rajiv Chhabra joined the Grove Medical Centre after the two doctors met working together in the out-of-hours service. Born in Ipswich, Dr Chhabra is — as Dr Feltwell notes with affection — "actually more local than me, as I come from Feltwell in Norfolk."

The partnership proved formidable. Running a large practice with just two partners, Dr Feltwell describes their working relationship warmly: "We have almost been an 'Ant and Dec' of local General Practice."

Dr Chhabra's organisational and managerial skills were particularly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Grove Medical Centre led the vaccination effort for Felixstowe, the surrounding villages, Kesgrave, and Martlesham — topping the league table for local and national vaccination centres. Practice Manager Kate Bloomfield, vaccinator trainer Elaine Vincent, Patient Participation Group chairman Mark Jepson (who was also serving as Mayor at the time), and a large team of volunteers all played key roles. Clive Garnham and his team of volunteers managed the car park and queuing in all weathers, keeping order "with good humour."

A career in medical politics

Beyond the consulting room, Dr Feltwell has been a persistent advocate for Felixstowe's healthcare infrastructure. He has served on the Local Medical Committee, campaigned against the closure of the Bartlet Hospital, acted as Director of a Primary Care Network, and sat on the Integrated Neighbourhood Team. Most recently, he has pushed for expanded medical facilities to serve the town's growing population.

He has also trained the next generation of GPs, working overnight across Suffolk in the GP co-operative after the contract changed — gaining, he says, "a wide range of experience and a variety of challenging incidents."

His letter includes a characteristic moment of warmth and humour: a parrot that helped him diagnose a patient's drinking habits when it mimicked a cork popping and wine being poured, to the patient's considerable embarrassment.

Handing over to familiar faces

Dr Feltwell and Dr Chhabra say they are "delighted and reassured" to be handing over to a team already working at the surgery. Current Practice Manager Kate Bloomfield, Dr Rohit Goyal, Dr Olorunsuyi Ikumapayi ("Suyi"), and Dr Kate Riches will become the new Partners.

Dr Feltwell's wife Joyce, who has served as Community Matron and with whom he recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, will also retire at the end of March.

"After 42 years as a Doctor and 35 years in Felixstowe, it is time for me to retire and spend more time with my family, Church activities and hobbies," Dr Feltwell wrote.

He closed his letter with a reflection on the privilege of the role: "I have been more than fortunate to have served you all for so long."