Further particulars Director of Medical Studies

Lancaster University’s collaboration with the University of Liverpool

Lancaster University was a partner in the University of Liverpool’s bids for additional medical student numbers in 1999 and 2001, which resulted in 90 new places. Lancaster’s role was to provide Special Study Modules and opportunities for intercalated masters degrees in areas of the sciences, social sciences, statistics and management with relevance and application in the medical curriculum. Lancaster has distinctive research and teaching strengths in these areas which complement Liverpool’s biomedical offerings. The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust was also a partner in these bids, and has worked with Liverpool over the last few years to establish increasing numbers of high quality practice placements in its hospitals in Lancaster, Barrow and Kendal, and the community in the Morecambe Bay area. The Trust currently provides SSMs, clinical placements for Year 4 students, and community modules and Selectives in Advanced Medical Practice (SAMPs) for final year students.

The Cumbria and Lancashire Medical and Dental Consortium (consisting of the University of Liverpool, Lancaster University, St Martin’s College and the University of Central Lancashire) was recently successful in its bid to HEFCE and the Department of Health to expand undergraduate medical education in Cumbria and North Lancashire. The University of Liverpool has been awarded an additional 50 places from September 2006 for students to study the full five years in the region, with Lancaster University as their academic base. These students will be admitted to a discrete route following the internationally acclaimed Liverpool MBChB programme, with their clinical experience based in the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and in Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust. The bid was conceived in response to the Review of higher education provision in Cumbria (the Fender Report, 2003) as a way of developing the provision of undergraduate medical education in Cumbria and North Lancashire, which in turn will address NHS recruitment and retention problems in the area (as locally trained medical graduates often settle where they trained).

The students will be based on the University campus, where facilities will include a Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre. A Clinical Skills Centre will be provided at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. The University of Central Lancashire and St Martin’s College will deliver Special Study Modules (SSMs) in their specialist areas, and will contribute to areas of interprofessional education.

The University of Liverpool will be responsible for the curriculum and for quality assurance. A Management Board representative of all the HEIs and NHS partners will manage the collaboration, and from this foundation the Consortium will aim to be in a position to bid to expand undergraduate medical education in Cumbria and Lancashire in any future exercise to increase medical student numbers. This would ideally result in an intake of 100-120 by 2009-10.

Lancaster University’s strengths in health and medical fields

Lancaster University has a substantial portfolio of biomedical and health-related activity in both teaching and research. One of the University’s long-term strategic objectives has been to develop this activity and to expand it by forming partnerships with other providers of medical education and NHS Trusts, and thus to position itself as a leading provider of biomedical and health education, particularly in Lancashire and Cumbria.

Biomedicine is a major strength within the Biological Sciences Department. Degree programmes are delivered in Biological Sciences with Biomedicine and Biochemistry with Biomedicine, as well as a fully IBMS-accredited Biomedical Sciences degree. The latter is taught in close association with the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust. An MSc in Biomedicine by Research is supported by research strengths in neurodegenerative diseases, signalling and repair in disease, carcinogenesis and eye disease. These are also linked into environmental studies such that the impact of the environment on health is an important focus for the new Lancaster Environment Centre. The degree of MD is also available. The department is also home to the one-year Certificate in Pre-Medical Studies; this course is running for the first time in 2005-06 and is part of the University’s commitment to widening access to medical education. Up to 10 places per year on Liverpool’s MBChB degree (at Liverpool or Lancaster) can be awarded to students who complete this course to a satisfactory standard and are successful at the medical school admissions interview.

There is an internationally acclaimed Medical Statistics Unit based in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics where teaching was confirmed as excellent by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in 1999 and where research is graded 6*. The Unit provides direct input into medical and health services research through collaborative research and consultancy.

The Department of Psychology is research led, with an RAE rating of 5A in 2001, and delivers high quality teaching (its undergraduate provision was rated as 24/24 in the last QAA exercise). The department currently specialises in social, cognitive, developmental and neuropsychology, including neuropsychological approaches to mental health and psychopharmacology. Recent developments include the establishment of a Centre for Research in Human Development, and Masters training in Developmental Psychology that includes courses on developmental disorders. Funding sources encompass research councils, medical charities, pharmaceutical companies and mental health organisations.

The Institute for Health Research focuses on high quality, policy-relevant health-related research and postgraduate study, and has particular expertise in palliative care; mental health; learning disabilities; and health inequalities. A Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (leading to professional registration) is offered, together with Masters degrees in Health Research and Health and Social Care. The Institute has a RAE grade of 5 and attracts substantial funding from DH and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Lancaster's Department of Applied Social Science, where areas of national and international expertise include disability and child care and protection, has an RAE grade of 5. The BA and MA in Social Work programmes prioritise inter-professional learning and teaching as a core component. Teaching in the department was rated 'excellent' at the last QAA inspection.

Lancaster University Management School is graded 6* for research, one of only two management schools in the country to achieve this. The Management School offers, inter alia, a leadership programme for NHS Chief Executives and is developing increasing expertise in public sector management. The University has recently launched an Institute for Advanced Studies in Management and Social Sciences to foster inter-Faculty research collaboration.

Lancaster University's Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (IPPP) houses CESAGen, the ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics, funded initially for five years (2002-7). CESAGen (a Lancaster-Cardiff collaboration) has a number of multidisciplinary flagship projects on topics such as genetic databases, stem cell research and therapy, and pharmacogenetics. CESAGen and IPPP are also partners in the North-West Genetics Knowledge Park (NoWGEN) with responsibility for the ethical and social research theme; NoWGEN is a regional collaboration also involving the University of Liverpool. They teach a Master's course on Genetics, Culture and Society as well a number of Centre-linked funded PhD studentships. They have proven teaching and research excellence in the area of bioethics and professional medical ethics.

Lancaster University and the University of Liverpool, in close collaboration with Salford University, operate Health R&D NoW, which aims:

· to develop research capacity to undertake R&D in order to meet the needs of those working in: public health; primary care; health services; and clinical R&D, with special reference to those groups currently under-represented in R&D;

· to improve the quality and scope of R&D activity to meet the needs and priorities for the NHS;

· to provide a high quality training environment, with a coherent programme of R&D;

· to advise NHS Research Managers/Leads on strategic organisational development.

The skills and knowledge of a range of experts attached to the three Universities are available to deliver high quality, accessible and multi-disciplinary support.

Centre for Medical Education

Lancaster University has recently set up of the Centre for Medical Education, which is part of the Faculty of Science and Technology. The Centre will form the base for Lancaster’s activity in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and its partnership with the University of Liverpool and others, and will complement and strengthen the research activity of the other Lancaster departments which are involved in health and medical fields. It will be the conduit for liaison with the local NHS Trusts, who are keen to develop closer links; these could take the form of joint and honorary appointments, and possibly a physical presence for the University at a Trust site(s).

Director of Medical Studies

Job description

1 To implement and manage the delivery of the MBChB curriculum in Cumbria and Lancashire in accordance with the terms of the agreement between the partners in the Cumbria and Lancashire Medical and Dental Consortium and the decisions of the Consortium’s Project Board and Executive Committee:

• To plan the delivery of all parts of the Liverpool programme to a cohort of students based at Lancaster University from September 2006.

• To manage the relationship with the School of Medical Education at the University of Liverpool and with the other HEIs involved in the delivery of the programme, and to represent Lancaster University and the Consortium as appropriate in the University of Liverpool’s management structures (including the Board of Studies for the MBChB). The appointee will have Associate Dean (Honorary) status in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Liverpool.

• To manage the interface with the NHS partners, in particular to organise in conjunction with the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust the introduction of additional clinical placements in years 1-3 of the MBChB and the expansion of year 4 and 5 clinical placements (the Trust already being involved in provision of hospital and community placements for years 4 and 5 from the University of Liverpool).

· To be involved in the appointment process for all other staff such as academic staff, PBL facilitators, communication skills tutors, clinical skills tutors, SSM convenors, plenary lecturers, administrative staff, library staff, clerical staff, technical and IT staff.

• To head the Programme Team responsible for delivery of the MBChB, which will comprise representatives of Lancaster University, St Martin’s College, the University of Central Lancashire and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

· To lead the planning process for the infrastructure for undergraduate medical education at Lancaster University including the refurbishment of accommodation to house the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre; library provision; lecture theatre with video link equipment; seminar rooms; offices. To be involved with the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in the planning of the Clinical Skills Centre.

· To work with the University of Central Lancashire and St Martin’s College on the details of their role within the curriculum.

• To work with the University of Liverpool and the other partners on the processes for recruitment and admission of students to the Lancaster route, including widening participation issues.

· To provide an Annual Report to the Consortium Management Board.

· To provide an annual monitoring report on the programme to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Liverpool and to provide documentation and information as requested in accordance with the University of Liverpool’s quality assurance procedures.

• To plan the future development of the MBChB at Lancaster to suit the particular circumstances of the region.

2 To contribute to the work of the Consortium towards the further expansion of medical student numbers throughout North Lancashire and Cumbria.

Person specification

The appointee may be clinically qualified, although this is not essential. If clinically qualified, the expectation is that the appointee would undertake some clinical sessions with the NHS Trust relevant to their specialism, probably 2 sessions per week.

The required attributes are:

• Knowledge of and enthusiasm for modern, innovative medical curricula (the MBChB is a problem-based learning course with self-directed study and early clinical contact).

• Skill and experience in setting up new ventures.

• Prior experience in some area of undergraduate medical education.

• Ability to build close links with the NHS.

• Appreciation of the importance of appointing staff who are able to contribute to Lancaster’s highly rated research activities; ability to encourage the development of research links with clinicians and with researchers at the University of Liverpool and other HEIs.

• An academic background and ideally active research interests in one of the areas represented at Lancaster, or in a complementary field: biomedical sciences, epidemiology, public health, primary care, medical education.

Changes to University Pay Structure

In line with all UK Universities, the University is in the process of designing a new pay and grading structure, based on assimilation to a single pay spine. The single spine is intended to assist the University recruit, retain and reward its staff.

The proposed implementation date is 1 August 2006.