North Wales' first medical school opens its doors

The North Wales Medical School at Bangor University will officially open today (Friday, 4 October).

First Minister Eluned Morgan and Health Secretary Jeremy Miles will be at the opening, alongside new and existing medical students, Bangor University staff members, and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board staff.

Bangor University has previously had medical students, but only through a partnership with Cardiff University, which is where students would graduate.

Having monitored the five year programme at Bangor, the General Medical Council allowed Bangor to recruit its own students starting in September 2024.

This year the school will take 80 students, but aims to steadily increase numbers to reach 140 a year from 2029-30 onwards.

The Welsh Government, which is funding the places, says it will be a "game-changer for doctor recruitment, especially in North Wales".

• Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles.

However, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was put into special measures in February 2023 after a number of "failings".

ITV Wales asked medical students whether this would deter them from seeking work with the health board upon their graduation.

25 year old medical student Enlli Pritchard said she would welcome the challenge: "It makes me want to help in some sort of way so I hope this course attracts people to stay working in the Health board, because if everyone keeps leaving, it will only get worse."

Responding to concerns about the health board, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles, said: "We know how hard the leadership team at Betsi Cadwaladr is working to transform the health board. I think this is a fantastic innovation, the partnership-working between the health board and the university, it's this that will make a difference."

Dyfed Edwards, chair of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said he believes "the future looks bright" following the medical school opening its doors.

Despite the scrutiny of Wales' biggest health board, he said: "I think people can see an opportunity to help shape the future. We really recognise all the contributions people have made over the years in getting the medical school up and running. But the future is with the young people who are now on their courses who will be a part of the health board. People can see there's an opportunity to contribute towards a new future for us here in north Wales."

However, the Royal College of Physicians say they "welcome" the new Medical School, but have raised questions regarding staff retention once they qualify.

Dr Ben Thomas, regional advisor for north Wales asked: "How do we make the NHS an attractive place to work?"

He continued: "We know that consultant posts aren’t being filled - our 2022 census of consultant physicians in Wales found that 57% of consultant physicians in Wales report vacant consultant posts and consultants are frequently seeing gaps in the resident doctor rota. The consequences of staff shortages are heavy workloads and staff burnout."

He added: "Wales needs to be a great place to train and also a great place to work. Incentives include having greater flexibility in the workplace, the availability of childcare, having efficient IT systems and having protected time for medical research and leadership positions – all of which are known to improve staff well-being which leads to better retention and ultimately impacts positively on patient care."

Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Sam Rowlands MS commented: “This is welcome news that will begin the process of easing the burden on a Welsh NHS that remains under immense pressure.

"Welsh Conservative longstanding calls for a North Wales medical school have been answered, but this is just the first step to ending the workforce crisis in the Welsh NHS and ending the reliance on costly agency staff.

"Simply training the doctors of the future is not enough. Labour should now adopt the Welsh Conservative plan to offer these new students their tuition fees back if they commit to work in Wales for five years after their studies."

Medical student Enlli Pritchard also told ITV Wales she feels studying in north Wales has allowed her to keep using the Welsh language.

She said: "I don't think I've ever been to an appointment where I haven't been able to speak some Welsh with someone, and I think that's very unique for the north. It's very ingrained in our course, we'll be having Welsh tutoring incorporated into our course."

Discussing the geographical appeal, she said: "Obviously we're just a stone's throw away from Eryri National Park. Medicine can get quite heavy at times, and being able to go out into the mountains, on the lakes, to the beaches. I think it's good for student mental health that you can go out and have a breather in such a beautiful setting."

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: "Recruiting skilled doctors is a major challenge across the UK and Europe. The medical school will be a game-changer for doctor recruitment in Wales, enabling more medical students to train in the region, which is good for our NHS, especially in North Wales.

"The North Wales Medical school marks the delivery of a key Programme for Government commitment for North Wales and is the culmination of five years’ hard work by the health board and the universities. The school will soon be providing the NHS with doctors with world-class, modern training to deliver excellent and compassionate care in our NHS for the future."

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