The Government has committed to training 1,500 more doctors a year in England - the largest single increase in doctor training places in the history of the NHS. I want some of those future doctors to study at a new medical school in Kent.
The Government is currently running a consultation to determine where the new doctors should be trained. I've written to the Secretary of State for Health urging him to make the new training places available in areas that don't already have a medical school, and where more doctors are needed. I also said that new medical schools should be given enough time to establish themselves, rather than rely on existing medical schools to provide new training places.
We know that part of the reason Kent & Canterbury hospital is under pressure is that it’s struggling to recruit senior doctors. We need to make sure the best doctors want to come and work here, and a medical school would increase the appeal of Kent as a place to build a medical career.
A medical school would be a boost for the East Kent economy too, especially the life sciences sector.
I made these points in my letter to the Secretary of State, and as my response to the Government’s consultation (you can read it below). Now’s the time to make the case for a medical school in Kent.
