New North Wales medical school to start training future doctors

First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced the Welsh Government will be funding up to 140 medical student placements each year at a new North Wales medical school.

The school will train hundreds of medical students and ensure training opportunities and the provision of qualified doctors are spread across Wales.

Training will begin in 2024 with student numbers increasing until reaching capacity from 2029.

A gradual increase in students will allow time to assess and evaluate the quality of tuition and student experience at the school.

The First Minister will today meet students at Bangor University who are benefiting from state-of-the-art technology to study anatomy.

The facility was backed by Welsh Government investment, and the students are from the first cohort of Cardiff graduates to have received the majority of their education in North Wales.

Mr Drakeford said: “Our new north Wales medical school will help us train the medical staff we need for the future.

“I’m proud so many students will be able to study in north Wales and I hope they stay to work in those communities following their studies.

“This is good news for the students, the people of north Wales and for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and shows the Welsh Government’s commitment to a health service that delivers care as close to people’s homes as possible.”

The North Wales medical school will be established in a partnership between the Welsh Government, Bangor University, Cardiff University and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The First Minister will also attend the cabinet sub-committee for North Wales meeting in Llandudno Junction today, which includes cabinet members and local authority leaders.