The University of Cumbria and Imperial College London have joined forces to launch a new graduate entry medical school in Carlisle.
It was confirmed yesterday, Thursday April 7, via the University of Cumbria, the universities would be working together to open the medical school with students starting in 2025.
Strength of Union
Imperial’s medical school is one of the best in the world and the University of Cumbria’s expertise lies in the education of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals so the point of the collaboration is to unite that strength and to improve the region’s access to world-class clinical care.
The partnership is the result of a shared vision to educate more medical professionals to serve their local communities, in regions with the greatest need. The school will be situated in an area of England where the recruitment and retention of medical staff remains a significant challenge.
While the Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said this will help ‘level up the area’.
He said: ‘This partnership between Imperial College London and University of Cumbria will help level up opportunity and train more doctors in the North West.
‘The new medical school supports our ambition to grow the workforce and already there are 1,500 more medical school places – a 25% increase – and five new medical schools across the country since 2017.
‘Our doctors have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to care for us and our loved ones, and it is this dedication that is inspiring the next generation.’
Community focus
The area the medical school will be based, Carlisle in the North West, is in need of more medical professionals and those who’re familiar with the area, therefore having this new campus will mean students will gain clinical experience through partnerships with local NHS providers across the region.
A sustainable supply of medical professionals will benefit the local health and social care economy following the school’s establishment.
It will educate and train generalist doctors who are grounded in the scientific method to deliver healthcare in community-based, rural, and disadvantaged settings where health and social inequalities are well documented.
By the time the students qualify they will be embedded into the local integrated care system, encouraging them to continue living and working in the region after graduation.
Professor Liz Hughes MBE, Deputy Medical Director (Undergraduate Education), Health Education England, said: ‘The most important resource the NHS has is its people and we are very pleased to be able to support development of these proposals that will create a new medical school helping to train more doctors.
‘It is a great opportunity to work with the University of Cumbria and Imperial College London to help reduce health inequalities by better meeting local patient needs through delivery of high-quality clinical placements and improving access to the medical workforce in this area both now and in the future.’
In addition to the new medical school, the University of Cumbria and Imperial College London are also planning a range of local, collaborative research programmes in the North West and London.