Much-loved retiring Homerton hospital consultant given big send-off

A party to mark the departure of a much-loved consultant was held at Homerton University Hospital last Tuesday.

About 100 people attended a party held at the education centre cafe at the university in Homerton Row, Homerton to say goodbye to haematology consultant Dr Roger Amos, who is retiring after 36 years of service to medicine.

Dr Amos qualified as doctor at St Bart’s hospital in 1978 and became a consultant at the Homerton University Hospital in 1987. He initially started treating six patients and now has in excess of 300.

He helped play a part in Homerton Hospital securing the first Apheresis machine in East London which carries out blood transfusions for sickle cell patients and improves the quality of patients’ lives.

The party featured speeches, a presentation of an award by the Homerton Hospital sickle cell and thalassaemia support group and the reading of a poem written especially for him by the group’s chair.

Kevin Lester, chair of the Homerton Hospital sickle cell and thalassaemia support group who composed the poem for Dr Amos, said: “It was very emotional. “There was good turnout with lots of people wishing him well and giving him lots of gifts. His wife was there which was lovely and some of us met her for the first time. I presented her and Dr Amos with a gift voucher for dinner at the Shard. As a sickle cell sufferer, he helped save my life and those of countless other patients. We will miss him terribly. He’s irreplaceable.”

Dr Amos plans to travel, dine out, do lots of gardening and play the piano following retirement.