A new medical school run by Imperial College London and the University of Cumbria has opened its doors to its first students.

The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) aims to recruit and train doctors who will then stay in Cumbria, an area that has faced ¡°critical health inequalities¡± and ¡°chronic¡± NHS staff shortages.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the partnership draws on Imperial¡¯s research and medical education expertise alongside Cumbria¡¯s longstanding history of training healthcare professionals.

Brian Webster Henderson, deputy vice-chancellor at Cumbria, said the opening ¡°represents a transformative moment¡± for the area and the medical school ¡°will change lives and improve health outcomes across the region¡±.

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The school offers a bespoke programme aligned to the NHS 10-year plan and could offer a ¡°potential blueprint¡± for other regions struggling with similar recruitment and retention challenges, organisers said.

Of the initial cohort of 58 graduate-entry students starting courses on 26 August, 45 per cent were from a widening participation background, with 20 offered scholarships of ?5,000 after meeting contextual admissions criteria.

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They will be based at Cumbria¡¯s Fusehill Street campus in Carlisle, a former workhouse that was converted to a hospital during the First World War. It was later used as the city¡¯s maternity hospital between 1968 and 2000.

Supported by funding from the Pears Foundation, the school, one of a new breed of medical institutions, aims to train doctors to gain an in-depth understanding of the specific problems experienced by people in the area.

Life expectancy varies by almost 20 years between the poorest and wealthiest parts of Cumbria. More than two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese and hospital admissions linked to alcohol are significantly higher than national averages.

Mary Morrell, the head of PCSM, said these figures ¡°show just how Cumbria needs doctors who are trained with an understanding of the unique challenges our communities face¡±. ?

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¡°PCSM is taking a bold new approach; it has a regional focus and a bespoke curriculum, focused on prevention and innovation,¡± she added.

¡°As the school develops, it will target the use of large data models and AI to prepare students for practice using digital technology. We are proud to be working alongside our clinical colleagues to bring meaningful change to the people of Cumbria.¡±

Martin Lupton, vice-dean (education) for the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial, said that the school will bring ¡°world-class education in medicine to where it can make the greatest difference¡±.

¡°We are proud to support a new model that not only trains excellent doctors but also strengthens the communities they serve.¡±

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tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com