EDGE Hill University will receive Government funding for extra medical places for the new academic year in 2024 to train much-needed additional doctors.

The University - 1 of the largest providers of health education in the North West - has been preparing for an increase in places to help address the shortage of doctors.

The news will ensure the University can continue to play a key role in helping the NHS deliver its Long Term Workforce Plan, which will see the biggest training expansion in its history over the next 15 years.

Vice-Chancellor Dr John Cater said:- “It has always been our ambition to grow our Medical School and I am delighted with this latest news. It means that we can drive forward our ambitions to develop a new generation of doctors who understand the needs of our local communities and can respond to, and deliver, new models of care.”

Currently, Edge Hill has 30 UK undergraduate medical places. The extra 20 announced will increase that number to 50 places in total; and 50% of those places will go to students who are under-represented in Medical Education.

The announcement comes in advance of the larger expansion across the country from 2025 onwards to deliver the Government’s commitment to double medical school places by 2030.

While the good news is very much welcomed, Dr Cater thinks more can be done to tackle the deepening NHS crisis and he has co-authored a policy proposal, entitled Student Loans Forgiveness, with Nuffield Trust and London Economics. He said:- "In my opinion, we should write off tuition fees for certain health professionals once they have completed 10 years of NHS service to recognise their commitment to public service and to stem a dropout crisis among nurses, midwives and other front-line staff.”
 

The full report can be read here.

Edge Hill offers a range of innovative programmes that meet the needs of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Discover more about courses at 1 of the largest providers of health, social care and medicine education in the North West.