The Lancaster MBChB programme has so far 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 50 students.

A total of 266 doctors have graduated so far and a further 42 will graduate with a Lancaster medical degree this July.

The Head of Lancaster Medical School Dr Rachel Isba  is a specialist in medical education as well as being a Consultant in Paediatric Public Health Medicine at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

”Approval of Lancaster Medical School by the GMC is great news and the end of a six-year journey for us! I am absolutely delighted that the devotion and hard work of all the staff in the medical school and in our partner organisations such as the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust has paid off.

“This is an exciting time for Lancaster University and Lancaster, and we will continue to build on our excellent local and regional relationships as we move into this next phase of our development.”

The Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medicine is Professor Neil Johnson.

“We are tremendously proud of the staff in Lancaster Medical School for achieving this accreditation.  It is the culmination of years of work by our staff who are totally dedicated to medical education. 

"Whilst colleagues in the NHS and our students have been telling us for some time that our course prepares them really well for a career as a doctor, this accreditation demonstrates that the course meets all the exacting standards set by the GMC and, as a result, that it is on a par with some of the best in the world.” 

Lancaster Medical School was one of the UK's top ten performers for training doctors in last year's National Student Survey which measures the satisfaction of students across the UK.

Students taking part in the survey gave Lancaster a 95 per cent overall satisfaction rating in the category for Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr Isba said: “We are very much looking forward to celebrating with our first class to graduate with a Lancaster MBChB in July.”