Working with partners, business and industry

North Wales Medical School

In a post–pandemic world, the proposed North Wales Medical School will fulfil a more important role than ever could have been imagined by training the workforce of the future.

The region requires urgent action to address a number of interrelated problems, including a shortage of doctors – especially bilingual doctors. On top of this, innovation, the adoption of new technologies, digital solutions and service development needs to happen at a greater pace and scale, building on the lessons learned from the coronavirus.

Working in partnership with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and with support from Welsh Government and Cardiff University – our partner in delivering our current undergraduate medical programme – these collaborative plans for the new Medical School signal an ‘all–Wales’ approach towards delivering a full programme of medical education in North Wales while supporting the Welsh Government in delivering on its Programme for Government.

A fit–for–purpose integrated health, care, and wellness system is our goal. Our aim is to establish an ecosystem to drive leading–edge research and practice in prevention and early intervention. We will also work with industry to develop capacities and facilities to inform Research & Development and medical education applications.

In September 2021, Welsh Government approved a doubling of student intake into the current C21NW Medicine programme and confirmed their pledge to establish a new independent North Wales Medical School to increase the number of local medical graduates, widen access to a medical career and improve care for Welsh speakers. The programme aims to grow from the current intake of 25 students to 160 by 2027, providing a major boost to regional medical staffing needs.

The new North Wales Medical School will help address the challenge of unfilled consultant vacancies, reducing dependency on locum staffing, affording every student significant interprofessional experience working in communities and with GPs.