Anglia Ruskin University hopes to expand medical school to help GP shortage

Anglia Ruskin University expanded its medical school to offer 100 new places in 2018

A university has been considering expanding its medical school to combat GP shortages by training more staff.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) hoped growing its Chelmsford campus would help the NHS' Long Term Workforce Plan.

The announcement came after the city's Liberal Democrat council leader warned a "huge shortage" of doctors in Essex had left the county without 300 GPs.

Conservative MP Priti Patel said increased medical training at ARU would help to restock the NHS workforce.

The school of medicine at ARU received investment from the government to support 100 new places when it previously expanded in 2018.

It was built in collaboration with five hospitals and more than 60 GP surgeries and provided students with a mix of placement experiences in urban and rural areas.

Conservative MP Priti Patel met with leaders and students at Anglia Ruskin University's Chelmsford campus to discuss a potential expansion

The facility grew to offer 120 spots in the 2020/21 academic year but had fallen back to 100 by 2022/23, the Local Democracy Reporting Service wrote.

During a visit to the medical school, Witham MP Ms Patel said the results of the 2018 expansion were now being seen through graduates getting jobs in the local healthcare sector.

"Further expansion of these programmes at ARU will help secure more doctors to live and work in Essex, which in turn helps develop and support local healthcare services," she said.

Speaking to the BBC last month, Stephen Robinson, the leader of Chelmsford City Council, called on more money to be invested in the university's medical school.

"There's a huge shortage of doctors in Essex - we need 300 new doctors a year to keep up with the demand and retirements of GPs," he said.

An ARU spokesman said its medical school was "helping to increase the number of doctors" working in Essex.

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