Partnership will improve education

Dr IAIN LAWRIE

AN improved partnership between the University of Manchester Medical School and The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust will mean that more medical students can receive training at the Trust.

Pennine Acute, which runs The Royal Oldham Hospital, has a long history of teaching undergraduate medical students on placement from the University of Manchester Medical School, providing teaching and training for the doctors of the future.

The new development will bring more student doctors to the Trust who will work alongside the 400 Consultants the Trust already employs, gaining vital clinical and educational experience across a wide range of hospital and community services.

Relationship

Professor Tony Freemont, head of the Medical School at the University of Manchester, said: "The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has provided medical undergraduate educational opportunities for many years.

"The new relationship will build upon and develop the Trust's working relationship with the Manchester Medical School and the wider University.

"To tap further into the resources of one of the UK's largest NHS Trusts means we will be further enabled to continue to offer the highest level of education to our students and maintain our record for graduating some of the country's most prepared young doctors."

Quality

The partnership, which also aims to bring improved staff recruitment and retention, is the result of five years of continued development of both the provision and quality of undergraduate medical education provided by the Trust as at Teaching Hospital Trust.

Improvements made include a new undergraduate staffing structure, improved quality assurance processes and better student feedback.

Dr Iain Lawrie, Director of Medical and Dental Education (Undergraduate) at the Trust, said: "The Trust has been working towards this development for several years due to its outstanding provision of undergraduate medical education and experience.

"It is a fantastic achievement for all those nurses, doctors, midwives, associate health professionals and other staff who consistently help contribute to an exceptional student experience at the Trust."

In the three academic years from August this year, it is anticipated the Trust will move from providing an average of 2,000 student weeks per year to around 3,200 student weeks per year.

Exciting

Sharon Taylor, Head of Medical Business and Professional Support at the Trust, said: "I am proud that the hard work and commitment of our team, both medical and non-medical, has been recognised and we have been given this exciting opportunity to expand and develop our existing partnership, to provide high quality placements."

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest non-university Teaching Hospital Trusts in the country, serving a population of 820,000, with four hospitals, North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, Rochdale Infirmary and community services.