Response to Jeremy Hunt's expansion of medical training places
04 October 2016
Commenting on the Health Secretary’s announcement on the proposed expansion of medical places, the director general of the Russell Group, Dr Wendy Piatt said:
“We share the government’s desire to have a well-trained, properly staffed NHS.
“Our members train 81% of medicine and dentistry students in this country and we will work closely with Government to ensure that this policy is delivered in the best possible way. It is hugely important that medical places remain properly and effectively funded so we can continue to produce high quality and world-leading doctors. It is vital that we ensure the UK’s leading medical schools remain internationally competitive.”
“Our universities are committed to widening participation and will engage with the consultation proposed today. All of our universities are already active in this endeavour.”
Notes to editors
- The Governments’ condition on offering additional medical places including assurances that they are being offered to children from disadvantaged background is something that is done by every one of our universities that offer medical training. For example:
University of Birmingham’s R2P offers a 18-month programme to find out more about studying medicine, including the chance to shadow current students, take part in work placements and access mentoring from practising doctors.
University of Bristol’s Aspire to Medicine Summer School is designed to provide Year 12 pupils, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the knowledge, skills and experience to make an excellent application to the University of Bristol’s medical school.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/teachers/post-16/summer-schools/access-medicine/
King’s College London’s Outreach for Medicine team run a range of free events for Key Stage 3,4 and 5 pupils from non-selective state schools in London and Kent.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/study/outreach/teachers/index.aspx
The University of Nottingham’s Medicine with a Foundation Year course designed to widen access to higher education. This course offers a route into a career in Medicine for applicants who do not meet the normal requirements to be accepted onto a medical degree but who meet certain widening participation criteria.
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/courses/medicine/medicine-with-a-foundation-year-bmbs.aspx
