Medicine at Derby is the umbrella for our growing portfolio of activity related to widening access to healthcare education and workforce development at the University of Derby. Our ambition is to support people at different stages of their journey into medicine and throughout their professional careers.
At the centre of this is our intention to establish the University of Derby Medical School, delivering an undergraduate MBChB programme, and graduating doctors who are embedded in the local community. The programme will be designed primarily as an undergraduate route (with a Gateway year for applicants who meet the widening participation eligibility criteria); those who already hold a degree may still also apply.
Alongside the MBChB, Medicine at Derby includes an Access to HE (Medicine) diploma, the Recognising Potential Pathway to medicine, and a developing suite of postgraduate and short courses for healthcare and medical professionals.
Across this portfolio, our focus is on raising aspirations, recognising potential, widening access to medicine and supporting the future healthcare workforce of Derby, Derbyshire and the wider region.
Working with schools, colleges, NHS partners, community organisations and the University of Sunderland, we are developing an approach to medical education that is rooted in our communities, innovative in its delivery and responsive to local workforce needs.
Building a medical school for our region
Our ambition is to create a medical school that delivers an undergraduate MBChB programme, graduates doctors locally and helps address the future workforce needs of Derby and Derbyshire, while opening up opportunities to study medicine to people who may not traditionally have considered it possible.
We are already building that pipeline through Recognising Potential, our widening participation programme supporting young people aged 8-18 to explore healthcare and medicine, develop their aspirations and, as they get older, prepare for medical school applications.
Alongside this, our Access to HE Diploma (Medicine) will provide an alternative route for those who have the potential to study medicine but did not follow the traditional science A-level pathway. This is for adults aged 19+ who may already be in employment and are considering a change of career.
Together, these programmes demonstrate our commitment to developing a medical school with widening participation and social mobility at its heart, while creating a stronger local pipeline of future doctors who can study, train and ultimately build their careers within our region.
What happens next?
The establishment of the University of Derby Medical School is dependent on both GMC approval and the Government's plans for expanding medical student numbers in England.
We are awaiting further detail from Government on how and when additional medical school places will be made available. We anticipate that this will be followed by a competitive process, administered through the Office for Students (OfS), through which universities will bid for an allocation of funded medical student places.
In the meantime, we are continuing to develop our proposed medical school and work with the University of Sunderland, the GMC and our healthcare partners on our curriculum, placements, facilities and educational infrastructure.
Importantly, we are also putting our widening participation ambitions into practice now. Through Recognising Potential and the Access to HE Diploma (Medicine), we are creating routes into medicine for people from a wider range of backgrounds and helping to build the local workforce pipeline that the future University of Derby Medical School is intended to serve.
Our ambition remains to welcome our first cohort to the MBChB programme in September 2028, subject to GMC approval, Government plans for the expansion of medical education and the University securing an allocation of funded medical student places.
Why Medicine at Derby?
Our ambition is to develop a medical school that is rooted in Derby and Derbyshire, delivering an undergraduate MBChB programme that graduates doctors locally, responds to the changing needs of our communities and prepares doctors for the way healthcare will be delivered in the future.
Rooted in our region
Derbyshire brings together a diverse city, towns and rural communities, each with different health needs and challenges. We want our students to learn within these communities and understand the people they will ultimately serve.
Widening access to Medicine
Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Widening participation will be at the heart of Medicine at Derby, creating opportunities for people from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in medicine to aspire to, enter and succeed in the profession.
Learning with the NHS
We are developing Medicine in partnership with NHS organisations, primary care and other healthcare providers across our region. Students will learn from the professionals delivering care and gain experience across a wide range of healthcare settings.
Preparing doctors for the future
Healthcare is changing. Our students will learn in an environment that embraces simulation, digital innovation, new technologies and interprofessional learning, while developing the clinical judgement, adaptability and leadership skills needed for tomorrow's NHS.
Learning together
Modern healthcare depends on teams. Medical students will learn alongside students from nursing, allied health professions and other disciplines, developing an understanding of each other's roles and how effective teams provide safe, compassionate care.
Developing doctors who stay
Beyond the undergraduate medical degree, Medicine at Derby will also develop a suite of postgraduate and short courses to support healthcare and medical professionals throughout their careers and respond to evolving workforce and service needs.
Our ambition is not simply to train doctors in Derbyshire, but to encourage them to build their careers here. By developing strong connections with local communities and healthcare organisations throughout their education, we aim to contribute to a sustainable medical workforce for Derby, Derbyshire and the wider region.
Contact us
Whether you're interested in our courses, have an enquiry, or would like to get involved with Medicine at Derby, contact us for more information.
Email us
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