New medical school announces partnership

A planned medical school for the Black Country, expecting to take in its first students next year, has agreed a partnership with a neighbouring institution.

Black Country Medical School at the University of Wolverhampton has been created to "meet the needs of diverse communities" and help tackle a national shortage of medical professionals.

The university said it had now teamed up with Aston Medical School in Birmingham, to help with curriculum design and "innovation and quality assurance to help ensure the new school is built on strong academic foundations".

Ebrahim Adia, vice-chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, said it was a "significant step forward in our journey".

Plans for the school were announced in 2024 after the Conservative government announced the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.

This aimed to double the availability of medical school places to 15,000 a year in England within five to six years.

The university has teamed up with the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to help create the school.

It will "play a vital role in addressing regional and national healthcare workforce needs, delivering sector-leading medical education at the heart of the Black Country" , the university said.

Medical students graduating at Aston are awarded Aston University degrees and the nursing programme is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and launched in 2023.

Professor Aleks Subic, vic- chancellor and CEO of Aston University, said they were proud to support the new school and were jointly investing in the future of healthcare.

"This partnership reflects our shared commitment to widening access to high-quality medical education and addressing the urgent need for more doctors across our region and the country.

"Aston Medical School will bring its expertise in curriculum design, innovation and quality assurance to help ensure the new school is built on strong academic foundations."

Recruitment of the first student cohort is planned, subject to GMC approval, for courses scheduled to begin in 2027, the university said.

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