Bolton Vice-Chancellor speaks out on the planned Bolton College of Medical Sciences

Revised plans for the much anticipated Bolton College of Medical Sciences (BCMS), go before councillors next month (June). The College, which will be built on the grounds of the Royal Bolton Hospital, is a pioneering joint venture between the University of Bolton Group, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Council and was awarded £20m in levelling up bid money last October. The University of Bolton’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor George E Holmes DL, explains why the project will be a “game-changer” for Bolton.

The University of Bolton Group constantly strives for innovation through the power of education and training.

So, we are delighted to be working with our partners, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Council, to build this state-of-the-art training facility for existing and new hospital staff.

Its development comes at a time when the NHS needs more highly trained staff more than ever; it is widely documented that there is an enormous skills gap in the sector which needs to be filled.

BCMS will help to plug this gap locally, regionally and nationally and its development is a historic moment for our town and the University of Bolton Group, which included  Bolton College.

We were thrilled when we found out that we had been successful with our Levelling Up funding bid, but that news in the autumn means much more than levelling up.

It provides a springboard to an entirely different level in Bolton, which will provide high-calibre professional medical careers for generations to come.

It really is a game-changer. It also takes the University to a whole new level in terms of training in medicine, which is all the more important in the context of the strains the NHS faces after the past two years of the pandemic.

The Bolton College of Medical Sciences marks a new era of healthcare skills and training and we are tremendously grateful to Bolton Council for supporting the bid.

It will be able to teach 3,000 students a year, with around 1,000 apprenticeships in a range of health and social care roles.

It will also provide a link between Further and Higher Education in this sector that is unique in the UK.

We are proud that the University of Bolton Group is at the forefront of this exciting plan and look forward to the building taking shape over the next few months.