UCLan to offer new medical scholarships

A leading Lancashire university is joining forces with health bosses to launch a scholarship for would-be medics.
Prof Cathy JacksonProf Cathy Jackson
Prof Cathy Jackson

The Preston-based University of Central Lancashire
(UCLan) is planning to offer the Bachelor Medicine Bachelor Surgery degree from next September to local students.

Until now, the university has only been able to offer it’s medical degrees to fee-paying international students.

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Now though, following Government plans to increase the number of medical training places by 1,500, UCLan has already announced its intention to bid for share of these, in order to realise the goal of developing a sustainable medical workforce in Lancashire and Cumbria.

And, in the meantime, is seeking local students whose circumstances mean they are unlikely to study medicine despite being academically capable, in order to promote social mobility and widen 
participation.

However, as UCLan has partnered with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust on the scholarships places will be restricted to applicants from those areas.

Professor Cathy Jackson, head of the UCLan’s School of Medicine, said: “We developed the MBBS course in partnership with our local NHS Trusts, and the aim has always been to provide a channel to train local doctors to then practise in these 
communities.

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“These scholarships are just the start, and show our commitment – and that of our partner Trusts – to address issues around doctor recruitment that these regions face.

The McKenzie scholarship from ELHT is named after Sir James Mackenzie – one of Lancashire’s most illustrious medical researchers – while the Kate Granger scholarship from NCUHT is named after the health campaigner and geriatrician behind the #hellomynameis campaign.

Both include all fees for five years tuition, plus a bursary for subsistence.

The final deadline for applications is January 15, 2017.