The story began in 1962, when I decided to read medicine, leading to a career in general practice sustained by a strong and enduring sense of vocation.

In 1967, before I was 18, I began five wonderful years at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London, as one of only 12 women in an intake of 72. My training was enriched by inspiring teachers, including Sir Roger Bannister and Sir George Pinker, and I qualified in 1971 and 1972.

House jobs followed in paediatrics at St Mary’s and surgery at Hillingdon, where a demanding one-in-two rota and a steady flow of casualties from the M4 and Heathrow provided invaluable experience. I then joined a new vocational training scheme at Oxford, under Sir John Hasler, pioneering a rotational post at Banbury with considerable responsibility.

On 1 July 1976, I joined two GPs in Sandwich as their first woman partner, bringing family planning training and other skills to the practice. I remained there until 1992, enjoying the remarkable variety of patients and lives encountered in general practice.

In 1992, I moved to Canterbury to work with Dr David Pratt, a single-handed GP with outstanding clinical skills and a pioneering interest in IT. I also undertook locums in many practices, including The Grange at Ramsgate, where I became a ¾ time partner in 2001, alongside earlier work as a clinical assistant in Dermatology at the William Harvey Hospital.

The Grange proved to be a superb practice, with modern facilities in an area of social deprivation. It allowed me to continue my interests in family planning and dermatology, as well as regular out-of-hours GP Co-op night shifts for nine years. Two years ago, I stepped down from the partnership into a half-time salaried role, continuing regular duty shifts within an excellent, communicative team.

Throughout, I have been greatly supported by my family. My husband, whom I married in 1979, gave me huge support until his death 11 years ago, and that support continues from my children and grandchildren.

At a recent gathering to mark my 50 years as a GP, I reflected on how different the world of general practice once was. There were no practice managers, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, CQC, appraisal system or internet. Continuity of care and bedside manner were central, and we knew generations of patients and many colleagues well. The pressures were different, with nights and weekends on duty, but medicine was simpler then and relied heavily on clinical skill.

There were good and bad things both then and now. Evidence-based medicine, chronic disease management, mental health care, early cancer detection and prevention have all advanced enormously. Yet the heart of the work remains the same: demanding, exciting and deeply worthwhile.

It has been an absolute privilege and joy to have followed this virtually unbroken journey for half a century. My goal now is to work for a further five years, maintaining high-quality care, and so complete 60 years in medicine.

Dr J. Johnstone