The new medical school in Worcestershire will “help in our fight to return a maternity and children’s service to the Alex” Rachel has said.
It follows today’s (October 3rd) announcement from Health Secretary Steve Barclay who confirmed three new medical schools as part of a massive expansion of NHS training. One of the new schools will be at the University of Worcester.
The new centres of excellence will help provide a further 205 undergraduate places from September 2024 to train the next generation of NHS doctors, helping to grow the NHS workforce over the next decade and beyond.
Working alongside her Worcestershire MP colleagues, Rachel has been lobbying Ministers about the need for doctors to be trained in Worcestershire.
Today’s announcement will contribute to the delivery of the Government’s long-term decision to double the number of medical school places to 15,000 by 2031, strengthening our health services for the future and making sure patients get the treatment they need more quickly.
It comes alongside a new pilot scheme next year that will see 200 medical degree apprenticeships boost doctor training.
These measures build on the NHS’s Long-Term Workforce Plan unveiled earlier this year, backed by £2.4 billion in new funding. Published on the NHS’s 75th anniversary year, the historic document marked the first time any Government has set out a vision for growing the workforce over a decade and beyond.
Rachel said:
“Training doctors locally is a central component of my Long-Term Plan for the Delivery of Health and Social Care in Redditch and the Villages.
“And training doctors locally is what we will be doing following the announcement of a brand-new medical school right here in Worcestershire.
"This will ensure the NHS is set for the future and that my constituents get the care they need when they need it – just as my Long-Term Plan promises.
“I also believe this will help in our fight to return a maternity and children’s service to the Alex. I will leave no stone unturned in the fight to return these vital services.”
