WARRINGTON Hospital physician Dr John Jefferson may be hanging up his stethoscope after retiring this week, but he's not ready to take a back seat just yet.

For the 60-year-old consultant, who lives in Comberbach, is planning to continue teaching at medical school and hopes to put some of his expertise back into the health service.

Originally from Newcastle, Dr Jefferson trained at Oxford and Guy's Hospital in London before moving to the north west in 1968. In 1975 he joined Warrington Hospital as a general consultant physician.

In 1993 he became the first medical director of the trust, a post which he held for six years.

He said: "My time on the board was very rewarding but also very stressful, working in a senior managerial job as well as continuing with my clinical work."

Dr Jefferson has taught at Liverpool University intermittently for 20 years but plans to start teaching on a regular basis now that he has retired.

"Without doubt, I'll really miss looking after my patients, there's no question about that," he said. "Over the years I have enjoyed watching the hospital services gradually and steadily improve.

"There are still a lot of inequalities in the health service but I am sure this will improve in time and Warrington will get the service it deserves."

Any spare time Dr Jefferson has left will be spent catching up with old friends and singing in the local male voice choir.