WORCESTER and Malvern’s MPs have urged the Government to deliver more funded places for the city’s Three Counties Medical School ‘at the earliest possible opportunity’.
Robin Walker led a delegation of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire MPs including Harriett Baldwin to meet with health minister Will Quince in the House of Commons last week.
The summit meeting came just a fortnight after Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting used a visit to Worcester to call on the Government to end the ‘non-domicile’ tax loophole.
Speaking on a visit to the University of Worcester, Mr Streeting said the money raised from making all British citizens pay tax could fund places as schools such as Worcester’s newest landmark which opens its doors in September.
Mr Streeting called on the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to take Labour’s policy and include it in last week’s Budget but Mr Hunt didn’t respond to the challenge.
The University of Worcester’s ‘strong track record’ for training health professionals including midwives and nurses and the fact it has seen the biggest expansion of training places for these roles anywhere in the country.
While the school had received significant public funding through both the Worcester Towns Deal and via the Office for Students, the lack of an allocation of funded places means the medical school has had to draw on local NHS resources to support students in their first year.
As things stand just 20 domestic students will be able to start on the graduate entry medical course in the first year of the school alongside around 28 international students but £1.7million of the funding for this has been provided from local NHS commissioners in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Statements of support from the Worcestershire Acute Trust, the Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB and doctors at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital including breast surgeon Stephen Thrush were shared with Mr Quince during the meeting.
“Getting funded places for doctors to train locally will be a win for retention and recruitment of much needed doctors in our area,” Mr Walker said.
“There are major long-term challenges across the three counties which this medical school will help to meet. The true benefit of the Government’s investment will only be realised once the funded places are confirmed.”
“It is a great credit to our local NHS every trust is supportive of this and they have put real money into making sure the first cohort of students at the medical school can include local students.
Mrs Baldwin said: “The new medical school was first proposed by the local NHS management to try and fix a recruitment issue and deliver more locally-sourced talent to train and then work at our local hospitals.
“At a national level, the Government knows it needs to train more doctors and we’ve got a shiny new medical school ready to go.
“I am hopeful more domestic students will be able to train in Worcester and then stay on to enjoy long, fulfilling careers.”
