The General Medical Council has given the go ahead to recruit the first medical students to study at the Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester.
Applications for the graduate entry medical school will open next month for entry in September 2022.
The new medical school will make a major contribution to tackling the shortage of medical doctors in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and beyond. The news has been warmly welcomed by NHS chiefs and political leaders.
Announcing the news, Professor David Green CBE DL, the University of Worcester’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, said: “We have been working to create the foundations for a medical school to serve the region for over four years now. The team have done a wonderful job as have our contingent partner Swansea University Medical School.
“The General Medical Council quite rightly scrutinise the training of medical doctors with laser precision. We are delighted that we have passed their tests and may now proceed to select and admit the first cohort of students. We will do our very best to ensure that very well educated, high quality doctors graduate in sufficient numbers over the years ahead to turn the shortages of medical staff in the region into history.”
Simon Trickett, Chief Executive of the Integrated Care System and Chief Executive of Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG, representing local NHS organisations, said: “This is fantastic news and a huge development for our local health and care system. The University already play a key role in helping local NHS organisations to be able to attract the range of skilled and qualified health and care professionals that we need to deliver local services.”
“The Medical School is a very important addition to that work and it is a development that we have supported right from the beginning because it was clear what a huge contribution it could make towards helping us to further improve the recruitment of doctors right across our services.”
“Congratulations to the University team for their work so far and we look forward to supporting them on the next stage of this journey.”
Building work to transform the former Worcester News building and print factory into a new Centre for Health and Medical Education is well underway.
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