MPs visit new medical degree premises

Two of the region’s MPs have praised the progress being made at the new University of Portsmouth Medical Degree premises, due to open this autumn.

The four-year graduate entry medical programme in partnership with King’s College London will begin training 54 future doctors in September, helping provide a steady flow of medics to the region.

Stephen Morgan (Labour’s shadow transport minister), MP for Portsmouth South since 2017 and Dame Caroline Dinenage (Conservative), MP since 2010 for Gosport, Stubbington, Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head visited the building works to see first-hand the progress on the new medical degree premises.

Both MPs have been vocal supporters of the university’s ambition to open a medical degree in one of the worst cities in Britain for GP shortages.

Mr Morgan said: “I was pleased to meet with those responsible for turning the medical degree vision into a reality for Portsmouth.

“It’s great to see progress being made in getting the facility built and I look forward to seeing future qualified doctors from the university working in our local health services.

“With Portsmouth facing a crisis in GP access, this facility will be a vital asset for our city and I hope it will make a big difference in helping local people get an appointment when they need one.”

Dame Caroline said: “The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan includes the biggest expansion of staff training in NHS history. It is fantastic to see this plan coming to life so locally with work underway at the new University of Portsmouth Medical Degree premises creating a state of the art facility and placements for students in our local health care facilities.

“I am excited to see the growth of this following the success of the Dental Academy with over 100 graduates each year including 80 students on placement providing vital NHS dental treatment for around 7,000 local people.”

The course is open to honours-degree biomedical life science graduates to study for a fast-track degree in medicine in four, rather than five years.

The course will be delivered in Portsmouth, leading to a King’s Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree (MBBS) through the expertise of academics from both institutions. The course focuses on integrated medical science with clinical teaching, and on learning in close contact with patients. It builds on the successful partnership between both universities in the delivery of King’s undergraduate dental education.

Students will have the opportunity to learn in academic and clinical settings including at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust’s Queen Alexandra Hospital, who will be the lead secondary care partner for the new medical degree, and with Southern, Solent and Isle of Wight NHS Trusts, the region’s GPs and all other regional healthcare bodies and partners.

The University of Portsmouth’s research encompasses a wide range of expertise, including in better understanding the mechanisms underlying health and disease, developing and testing new health-related technologies, promoting physical activity and rehabilitating those facing barriers to physical activity.

In REF 2021, 95 per cent of sport and exercise research at Portsmouth was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent, and in allied health, 90 per cent of research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.

The branch campus forms part of the University of Portsmouth’s strategic vision to eventually award its own medical degrees. The branch campus arrangement means that medical students can be trained locally now while the plans for the University of Portsmouth medical degree are progressed.