Professor Cumming was one of the VIP guests at the graduation of 41 medical graduates who have gained a Lancaster degree for the first time following this accreditation.

Other VIP guests at the graduation included the Chair of HEE Sir Keith Pearson, former Dean of Postgraduate Medical Studies for HEE (North) Professor Jacky Hayden and the Director of Education and Standards at the GMC Dr Colin Melville.

Professor Cumming said: “Our people are the most valuable asset in the NHS and at a time when we hear so much about the challenges that undoubtedly face it, it is also good to remember that it is the envy of the world thanks to the work of its staff.

“So it is great to be able to personally congratulate all the graduates on their achievement and also Lancaster University on becoming a fully accredited medical school.”

The Lancaster MBChB programme had been run in conjunction with the University of Liverpool but now has full, independent GMC accreditation, following an exacting six year application process.

This marks an important milestone in the development of Lancaster Medical School, which began in 2006 with Professor Anne Garden as the first Head of the School .

A total of 266 doctors have graduated so far with the Liverpool degree but from this July, they will all graduate with a Lancaster degree.

The Head of Lancaster Medical School Dr Rachel Isba said:

 “It is wonderful to be able to celebrate with our first class to graduate with a Lancaster medical degree. Achieving our GMC accreditation is the culmination of years of work and we are proud of the medical education we offer here and the high-quality doctors leaving us today to enter clinical practice in the NHS.”

From 2018, Lancaster Medical School will also offer an additional 15 medical student places, with plans to expand further from 2019 dependent upon the outcomes of the process being designed by HEE and the Higher Education Funding Council for England to manage the Government’s expansion of medical student numbers.

The Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medicine Professor Neil Johnson said:

”The granting by the GMC of independent medical degree-awarding powers is a real milestone in the development of Lancaster Medical School – it is really pleasing to see the huge effort and dedication put in by everyone involved being recognised.  Now we have reached this position we are very keen to expand the number of medical places we offer and we see this as the next phase in the development of the Medical School.”