7. Will the Minister make a statement on the progress of the Bangor medical school plans? OAQ(5)0088(HWS)[W]

As the Member knows from our previous exchanges, I have agreed to consider the case for a medical school as part of the work considering the wider workforce requirements for health professional education and training in north Wales. Any decision needs to be supported by clear evidence that change would help deliver on our priorities to train and retain more staff for NHS Wales.

A medical school for Bangor has been included as a high-level project in the north Wales growth bid, which has been agreed and supported by each of the six local authorities in north Wales. A letter that I received from you recently notes that you are expecting a briefing from officials on this issue. I note that the words ‘business case’ have disappeared from the letter, but that’s what was pledged before the summer—a business case rather than a briefing. Can you give me an assurance, as well as people in the north-west of Wales, that the case to develop a medical school in Bangor is being given priority by you and your Government?

Yes, I’m happy to confirm that a range of active discussions have taken place with stakeholders in north Wales, including with local government, Bangor University, Glyndŵr University and Cardiff University, who all take part in the current north Wales clinical school. We need to receive a business case setting out the evidence for a potential medical school. I expect to receive a briefing on the updated work that is ongoing. The important point here is doing the right thing to ensure we actually provide greater opportunity for training to take place within Wales, for recruitment and retention to take place in Wales, and how we give people different opportunities and enhanced opportunities to undertake their medical training within north Wales and across the country more broadly. The North Wales Clinical School has helped to do some of that. It means there are more fourth and fifth year placements taking place within north Wales, and that’s practically led to more juniors choosing to come to Wales after a placement within north Wales. We need to understand what’s been successful about that and what more we could do. That fits into our shared expectation and desire to have a healthcare system that has the right quality of training, retains and recruits the right staff that have the sort of healthcare skills that we want, and really recognises and reflects on those, not just Welsh-domiciled students who may not want to train within Wales and may go to other parts of the United Kingdom for their medical training, but how we attract them back as well as attracting them from other parts of the UK and more broadly afield to come into Wales for their medical training. So, I’m genuinely open-minded about the potential case for a medical school in north Wales. I simply need the evidence about what is the right choice to make to meet those ambitions to deliver the sort of healthcare that we need.