Bangor University: Medical school to tackle doctor shortage

Students will be able to complete a full medical degree in north Wales as part of efforts to tackle a shortage of doctors in the area.

The Welsh government will fund training for up to 140 students each year at Bangor University.

The current course at Bangor is in partnership with Cardiff University, with graduates spending their first year in the capital.

One of the primary aims is to tackle recruitment issues in north Wales.

From September 2024, medical students will be able to start their degree in Bangor and complete their full five-year degree at the university.

Although GP numbers across the country have increased slightly over the years, it has traditionally been a challenge to attract people to work in north Wales.

According to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), the latest figures show more than 28 vacant full-time GP posts in the surgeries the health board manages, and the gaps are filled by locum staff.

Programme director Dr Nia Jones said establishing the new medical school had been a "long process" and there would be challenges ahead. The university plans to tackle them by working with the health board and with existing GP partnerships.

"We also have a huge amount of support from our partners in Cardiff University who are also supportive of this," she added.

The course in Bangor will place greater emphasis on community medicine, with students spending a year in a GP practice.

Amlwch Health Centre has received a number of students over the last few years and one of its GPs, Dr Harri Pritchard, said it has benefited from the experience.

"There's certainly a recruitment problem in north Wales and certainly the students who've come to Bangor have loved it. They've loved the people, and hopefully they'll stay in north Wales."

Third year student Erin Davies has been on placement at the Amlwch surgery and said it had probably increased the likelihood of her working somewhere more rural like north Wales.

"Before I came here I was more set on being back in south Wales but now, the more I've done with the GP in Amlwch, I'm more 50-50 and could potentially stay here for more years," she said.

Other students said they had had lots of opportunities since moving to north Wales, including learning Welsh, and have enjoyed the variety it offers.

"You get a bit of everything - countryside, communities, also cities, going to the three main hospital sites across north Wales," said fellow student Gwenllian.

The course in Bangor will be extended gradually to give the university a chance to develop facilities.

According to Dr Eilir Hughes, a GP on the Llŷn Peninsula, it's vital to maintain standards.

"Not every kind of medicine is practised in north Wales, but that doesn't stop you offering a five-year medical foundation course to students" he says.

"What's important is that we don't lower standards, that we maintain them as is expected in other medical schools.

"Yes, it'll be a challenge to attract some of the most talented students here perhaps, but there's no reason why we can't in the long run compete with some of the most well-known medical schools in Britain."

First Minister Mark Drakeford said he hoped many students would choose to work in communities in north Wales following their studies.