UCLan to Open Doors to New Undergraduate Medical Degree

PRESTON, England, December 12, 2013 /CNW/ - A self-funded undergraduate medical degree programme is being launched by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). The UCLan School of Medicine and Dentistry plans to offer the 5 year MB BS programme to 35 students from September 2014. In keeping with other new Schools of Medicine, the General Medical Council (GMC) has committed to work with UCLan to enable the MB BS programme to acquire full GMC recognition.

During the degree the students will study medical sciences along with clinical and communication skills at UCLan's multi-million pound facilities in Preston and Burnley. UCLan will work in partnership with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT), who will provide the majority of clinical placements, with Lancashire Care Foundation NHS Trust (LCFT) and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust (LTHT) providing the remainder. Primary care placements will be provided in regional General Medical Practices and community settings servicing the significant health needs across East Lancashire.

UCLan's Professor StJohn Crean, Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry, said: "The University has a long-held ambition to develop an undergraduate medical programme which builds on the phenomenal success and great reputation of our undergraduate and postgraduate dental and allied health programmes. The University has a strong track record in the development and delivery of innovative courses such as the undergraduate dental programme which started in 2007 and has now produced almost 100 new General Dental Council registered dentists. That programme was developed in line with General Dental Council (GDC) requirements and, likewise, the MB BS programme has been developed in line with GMC quality assurance process."

"The students will receive top quality teaching in state-of-the-art buildings and their clinical placements will be based in the very heart of an area with a diverse population and which has significant health inequalities. It will extend the reach of medical education and research throughout the county."

He added: "Our market research has highlighted there is demand from overseas students to study medicine at a UK university and our course is aimed predominately at those who have a lack of opportunities in their own country. It is priced in line with the overseas and independent fee paying rates offered at other UK Medical Schools at £35,000 per year, for which students will be able to enjoy outstanding academic excellence, small class sizes, early patient contact, top-of-the-range facilities and exceptional practical clinical training."

Dr Damien Lynch, Director of Undergraduate Education at the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We're delighted to be joining forces with UCLan in this exciting new venture. Medical education is vital to the health of the whole community within the Pennine Lancashire area. ELHT has a longstanding tradition of providing high quality undergraduate medical training. We have a significant training capacity within the region and look forward to welcoming the first batch of students in the near future."

Dr Jim Gardner, Medical Director of the Lancashire Area Team of NHS England, said: "The development of an independent medical school centred on Preston, Blackburn and Burnley is an important issue for our health economy and for the people of Lancashire. We can expect the medical school to drive innovation, investment and quality improvement in health care across the county. We have the capacity to support a new medical school in Lancashire and, in fact, the county needs these sorts of initiatives to help train, recruit and retain the best possible workforce for the future.

"Developing a medical school is not only about training the doctors of the future. It is about bringing together the wide and varied members of the health service workforce and developing together. It is also about the on-going support and up-skilling of established clinicians."

Notes to editors

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has developed an enviable reputation as an institution that innovates, evolving its course portfolio to over 500 undergraduate programmes and 180 postgraduate courses. The University has an established research reputation within the areas of Business, Health, Humanities and Science. In the recent Research Assessment Exercise, all 17 subject areas submitted were rated as containing research of international excellence while 11 areas were assessed to be undertaking research which is world-leading. In 2012 UCLan was awarded four stars in the QS Stars Development Road Map, indicating a University that is highly international with excellence in both research and teaching. UCLan has approximately 35,000 students and indirectly contributes close to £300 million into the regional economy every year. Over the past five years UCLan has invested more than £100 million on new buildings and facilities to support teaching, learning and leisure activities.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) provides a wide range of adult community and hospital based services primarily to the 529,000 residents of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen. We also offer specialist services, including; Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care, Hepatobiliary surgery, Head and Neck and Urological Cancer services. We are also a growing centre for Cardiology services.

Following the transfer of community services to the Trust in April 2011, we are now also able to provide an increasing amount of care, where appropriate, either in or as close as possible to our patient's homes.

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SOURCE: University of Central Lancashire

Chris Theobald, Senior PR Officer University of Central Lancashire, T: [phone], E: [email protected]