University of Portsmouth bid for new medical school moves forward with appointment of key team members

Portsmouth is set to submit the next stage of its multi-stage bid, which could see the university start training medics at the new medical as soon as September 2024.

Last month, new figures revealed that Portsmouth was the worst in the country for patients per GP with demand for services skyrocketing.

Bid leader Professor Sherria Hoskins, executive dean of the faculty of Science and Health, said: ‘The university’s medical school bid faces a long march before launching, but we are moving heaven and earth to be ready for when the government issues a call to universities to open new medical schools.

‘If we are successful, Portsmouth will be able to improve healthcare in our region, which has significant health deprivation and a serious shortage of doctors, compounding the health inequalities.’

Professor John Cookson, an internationally-respected figure in medical education, has been named dean of the Medical School Development.

Other appointees of the development team include John Persson, project director, Dr Donna Glyde, a Portsmouth GP and primary care clinical champion, and Professor Peter Brennan, secondary care clinical champion, as well as Dr Theresa Martin, clinical programme developer and medical educator.#

Last month saw the university stage a live-action medical emergency – based around the collapse of Spinnaker Tower due a ferry collision – to train medical students alongside staff from Queen Alexandra Hospital.