ASPIRING medical students in Evesham and Pershore have been boosted after University of Worcester chiefs launched their bid to the General Medical Council (GMC) for the creation of a new medical school to serve Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
The green light from the university’s board of governors follows a year of preparations, including an independent audit and will be now be assessed by the GMC over the next two years.
All six local health trusts in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire have enthusiastically committed to the Three Counties Medical School project and have agreed to provide placements for medical students.
Many medical practitioners in the Three Counties and surrounding areas have also expressed strong support and a deep desire to become involved.
One of the positive features of the case for the creation of the Three Counties Medical Schools is the university’s long-standing strengths in health education.
This includes the very successful creation of the first masters course in the UK for Physician Associates, which has received national acclaim – with all its graduates snapped up.
The university has a reputation for outstanding quality in nursing and is the only one in the country to be shortlisted five times as Nurse Education Provider of the Year.
Professor David Green, University Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “Creating the Three Counties Medical School to serve the people of this region and beyond is a major investment. The accreditation process rightly takes several years.
“The university is fully committed to this development and is very confident that, together with our Trust partners, we will be successful in the early 2020s.
“As well as working through the necessary scrutiny by the GMC, the university plans to increase its work in relevant research areas in which we are already very strong including bipolar disorder and dementia.
“We are also increasing our work in subjects allied to medicine, including nursing, where we enjoy an outstanding reputation for quality and innovation.
“We are very grateful for all of the support from the medical profession, health educators, trusts and sister universities that we have already received. Our concentration over the next period will be to work together to earn the necessary recognition from the GMC.”
