To the patients of Redbank,
It is with a great deal of sadness that Redbank Group Practice announce the retirement of Dr Stephen Flascher from the position of GP Partner, after almost 35 years of service to the communities of Radcliffe.
Dr Flascher has been a committed and valued member of the Redbank family and a stalwart of healthcare in Radcliffe. His reputation for going above and beyond for his patients is well-known and respected throughout the Bury locality, and he will be sadly missed by patients and colleagues alike.
On his retirement, Dr Flascher has sent the following words:
It has been such an honour and privilege to treat the patients of Redbank Group Practice for nearly all of my medical career. Having qualified at 23 years old I then spent four more years undertaking standard GP training in relevant hospital and community posts before starting at Redbank in 1986, practicing 35 years in the same post. During this time General Practice has changed and evolved in so many positive ways and with so many initiatives. Throughout, my main focus has always been the best interests of my patients, and Redbank more widely. Alongside the other doctors and practice teams, but especially my long-time GP Partner Dr Peter Thomas, we have always tried to find different and innovative ways to serve the patients under our care, improving their health and wellbeing. I would like to think that I have succeeded, along with the help of so many great colleagues, in making positive impacts here for our patients.
I must place on record my genuine thanks to all the members of staff, past and present, whom I have worked alongside as colleagues and friends at Redbank; they really have been an exceptional, dedicated, capable and likeable team, who should be proud of their efforts. I have retired a little earlier than hoped due to physical health problems, but I am so grateful to have had a long, fulfilling career with so many positive experiences. If my very long working week is adjusted to normal working hours, instead of retiring at almost 63 years of age I would more accurately be leaving at 80 years of age – arguably I have not really retired early!
I certainly wish all my practice colleagues’ further success and good luck; especially the younger members who will carry the greatest responsibility of service delivery, particularly in these challenging times.
Last but not least, my best wishes for future of course go to the patients of Redbank. Thanks for putting up with the now ‘old doc’!
With kindest regards,
Dr Stephen Flascher
Firstly, I must say how much I have always admired Dr Flascher’s clinical skills, having worked with him closely for almost thirty years. He has always been an incredibly astute GP, with the utmost concern for the health and wellbeing of his patients, and his knowledge and expertise in the field of General Practice and medicine more widely is greatly respected by his fellow doctors, both in Redbank Group Practice, and across the Bury system more widely.
Steve was never afraid to be outspoken or to challenge the accepted norms if he felt doing so would be to the betterment of his patients. This helped us as a Practice tackle, and more positively deal with, the enduring problem of limited resources our Practice/GPs in general have been given over the years by local and national providers, to manage our service delivery for our patient list in the very best way.
I know I speak for all the staff at Redbank, as well as myself, when I say Dr Flascher will be missed both professionally and personally by staff and patients alike. The health and care system of Radcliffe, and Bury more generally, will be a poorer place for his absence, and I wish him every happiness for a well-earned retirement.
I am sure you would like to join us in wishing Dr Flascher every happiness in his retirement and sending our very best wishes to himself and his family for the future.
Kind regards,
Dr PWV Thomas
GP Partner
On behalf of all the staff and patients of Redbank Group Practice
