Medical school places for disadvantaged students

The funding is part of 1,000 new medical places announced by Government to fill the shortfall in clinicians.

The School, based at the University of Sussex campus in Falmer, intends to allocate the places to candidates who meet certain criteria, including living in deprived areas, attending a poorly performing school, whose parents are in receipt of benefits, or who are coming from care.

Professor Malcolm Reed, Dean of Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: “We are one of the most successful medical schools in terms of widening participation, and the allocation of these extra places will allow us to increase our focus on medicine as a career for those from underrepresented backgrounds.

“We are known for our supportive and encouraging atmosphere, and received an overall score of 99 per cent in the National Student Survey 2017, making us the top undergraduate medical school in the UK. The newly-allocated places will allow us to continue to provide an outstanding educational experience for students, while offering such an opportunity to those who would otherwise very probably miss out.”

The medical school will extend the reach of its widening participation programme, BrightMed, which helps talented students from local state schools, who may not have considered medicine a possibility, to apply to and prepare for medical school.

BSMS is a partnership between the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex, and works with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.