West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin joined Westminster colleagues pressing for more investment to allow local students to train as the next generation of doctors at a brand-new medical school.

The Three Counties Medical School is due to open in September and a delegation of MPs met with Health Minister Will Quince to call for extra funding to allow more local people to sign up for medical training.

The new school is attached to Worcester University, which is well-regarded for teaching nursing and other healthcare professionals, but currently just 20 domestic students will be able to start on the graduate entry medical course in the first year of the school alongside around 28 international students.

The domestic students are being funded by the local NHS, but the MPs have asked the Government to step up to allow a much larger cohort of local learners.

Harriett said:

“The new medical school was first proposed by the local NHS management to try and fix a recruitment issue and deliver more locally-sourced talent to train and then work at our local hospitals.

“As a group of MPs from Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire we all want this new medical school to succeed and develop local talent.

“At a national level, the Government knows that it needs to train more doctors and we’ve got a shiny new medical school ready to go.

“I am glad that we were able to make our case and I  am hopeful that more domestic students will be able to train in Worcester and then stay on to enjoy long, fulfilling careers.”

Photo: (l-r) Richard Graham MP, Sir Bill Wiggin MP, Harriett Baldwin MP, Will Quince MP, Robin Walker MP, Rachel Maclean MP, Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown MP and Nigel Huddleston MP.