New medical education centre officially unveiled

A new state-of-the-art £2.8m undergraduate medical education centre for Cardiff students will be officially opened by Welsh Government Minsters today (February 4th).

Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford and Education Minister Huw Lewis will open the new centre which will support between 60 and 90 medical students each week from Cardiff University's School of Medicine as they train in Cwm Taf University Health Board.

Dean of the School of Medicine, Professor John Bligh said: "This teaching centre, right in the heart of South East Wales is a symbol of the growing partnership between Cardiff University and the NHS in Wales.

"Training medical students and young doctors in the environment where they are going to work is motivating, engaging, and above all, deeply effective in recruiting qualified doctors and healthcare professionals.

"Feedback from patients, teachers and students alike has been hugely positive and the Keir Hardie University Health Park experience now acts as a beacon for other regions to follow."

The investment in the new education base underlines the Welsh Government's commitment to work with the NHS and universities to recruit and retain high-calibre healthcare professionals for Wales.

The centre is based at Keir Hardie University Health Park where medical students will benefit from community-based training and placements with mental health and addiction specialists, as well as working in local GP practices.

The Welsh Government invests more than £350m in health professional education every year, supporting more than 15,000 students and trainees in Wales.

Professor Drakeford said: "Education and workforce planning are fundamental to ensuring we have the right people with the right skills in the right places to continue to deliver top class services to Welsh patients.

"People living locally and further afield will benefit from this new partnership and the expertise this development will bring to Wales."

Mr Lewis added: "The opening of this state-of-the-art undergraduate education and training facility underlines our commitment to investing in medical education. Indeed, our total investment in health education and training now exceeds £350m annually.

"We believe that it is important that universities are rooted in the communities they serve. This new facility is not only great news for medical students and others who will learn and train here but also for the local area. This centre brings state-of-the-art undergraduate healthcare professional education right to the heart of the community in Merthyr Tydfil."