More medical students to train in North Wales as part of moves to create full-time medical school in the region

More medical students will spend all of their training in north Wales as part of moves towards establishing a medical school there.

The C21 North Wales programme, which is delivered in partnership by Bangor and Cardiff Universities, allows students to study for all of their medical degree in north Wales, with a greater focus on community medicine and a wide range of placements including a full year at a GP surgery.

This year the programme will be expanded from 20 students to 25 and to 40 students in next year’s intake.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “I want to give even more students the opportunity to study while embedded in our north Wales communities because we are committed to delivering care as close to people’s homes as possible.

“We know there are challenges to recruiting staff to north Wales, which is why we want to nurture medical students educated here and encourage them to stay, first through the extremely successful C21 North Wales Programme, and longer term, through a north Wales medical school.

“The North Wales Medical School Task and Finish Group have reported back to me and I will be establishing a Programme Board to implement their recommendations and to work to establish an independent north Wales medical school.”

Iwan Davies, Vice-Chancellor, Bangor University said: “Bangor University welcomes the expansion of the C21 North Wales Programme building on the successful partnership with Cardiff University as an important step in accelerating the process of establishing an independent research-led Medical School in Bangor for North Wales.”

Swansea University’s Graduate entry medicine programme will also be funded to offer an extra 25 students in 2021.

Professor Colin Riordan, Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, said: “It is excellent news that the success of the C21 NW Medicine partnership is being recognised after the hard work that has been put in by the teams in Bangor and Cardiff.

“The programme is now well established with excellent student feedback and Cardiff University School of Medicine will continue to build capacity for medical education, in partnership, to deliver on the ambitions of the region.”

The news that more medical students will spend all of their training in north Wales as part of moves towards establishing a medical school there has been welcomed by Plaid Cymru.

MS for Arfon Sian Gwenllian said: “Plaid Cymru and I have long argued that training doctors in Bangor is an essential part of the effort to provide first class health and care services for the people I represent and for all north Wales residents.

“That Welsh Government will now – at last – deliver a full and independent medical school for north Wales, based at Bangor.

“That, along with more medical students training in north Wales, is to be celebrated and welcomed and will be an important milestone in the process of fulfilling our long held ambition of a fully-fledged medical school in north Wales.

“It’s imperative that the new Programme Board works swiftly and effectively so that we can see real progress over the coming months and years.

“I look forward to working with the Board, the Health Minister, with Cardiff and Bangor University and other partners as we move forward to establish the medical school on strong foundations, drawing on experiences from other places and exploring innovative ways of working, especially from the perspective of training doctors in a rural environment.