University of Portsmouth to work in partnership with King's College London to offer medical degree

The aim of the medical degree is to educate more doctors in response to national shortages and to help address the severe shortage of doctors in the city.

The King’s College four-year Graduate Entry Medical programme usually accepts 23 students each year but this will be expanded to enrol a further 54 students in Autumn 2024 based at a new King’s branch campus in the University of Portsmouth Medical School.

Professor Sherria Hoskins, provost and sponsor of the project at the University of Portsmouth, said: “This new medical school is a collective effort with both our longstanding partners King’s in dentistry and with all of our region’s health care bodies working at the sharp end of improving and safeguarding the health of people in our region.

“At the University, we have a history of opening doors to students who might not have otherwise considered it and the new medical school embraces the same ambition. This new partnership isn’t about just education; it’s a commitment to work together on research to inform medicine and healthcare regionally and globally.”

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The course will be open to honours-degree biomedical life science graduates to study for a fast-track degree in medicine in four, rather than five years.

The course will focus on integrated medical science with clinical teaching, and on learning in close contact with patients.

It will build on the successful partnership between both universities in the delivery of King’s undergraduate dental education.

Students will have the opportunity to learn in academic and clinical settings including at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust’s Queen Alexandra Hospital, who will be the lead clinical partner for the new medical school, and with Southern, Solent and IoW NHS Trusts, the region’s GPs and all other regional healthcare bodies and partners.

Dr Lara Alloway, chief medical officer NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, said: "We are delighted about the new medical school. This is such an important step forward in helping to improve recruitment rates into medical roles, especially general practice locally. It's a fantastic achievement for Portsmouth and we're looking forward to supporting colleagues at this very exciting time."