Chelmsley Wood road named after area's much-loved GP

A ROAD in Chelmsley Wood has been named after the popular doctor who opened the housing estate’s first ever GP surgery.
Pomeroy Way, near the Three Trees Centre, is named after Dr Richard Pomeroy (pictured above), who started the surgery single-handedly in a small rented house in 1968.
By the early 70s, the Craig Croft facility was already dealing with 15,000 patients and the pioneering practitioner was later awarded an MBE for his services to healthcare.
Describing the challenges which faced the fledgling practice, Dr Pomeroy later said: “The health problems were of a kind endemic to areas of deprivation, where there was a lot of unemployment and actual poverty.
“Infant mortality was quite high compared with the national average and pneumonia was a frequent cause of death.”
The father-of-five died last July, aged 76, and warm tributes were paid by former colleagues. His first GP partner, Dr Martin Allin, had described him as someone who “worked for the public rather than himself.”
Twelve months on from his death, Dr Pomeroy’s role serving the community has been recognised by the recently installed road sign.