Mayor of Greater Manchester opens new training hub for surgeons

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, will officially open the Royal College of Surgeons’ new Outreach hub at The University of Manchester Innovation Centre today (6 June). The new hub will give the RCS a full-time, staffed presence in the North and Midlands.

Andy Burnham will attend a launch event alongside Professor Derek Alderson, President of the RCS, members of its council, its regional representatives in the North and Midlands, and guests from the University of Manchester. Professor Robert Bristow, an expert in the progression and treatment response of prostate cancer at the University, will also speak at the event.

The role of the RCS Outreach Hub North and Midlands office is to support members, regional volunteers and surgical societies. RCS faculty members will also deliver the College’s wide range of educational courses and practical workshops for surgeons and other medical professionals at all stages of their careers, using the state of the art facilities at the Manchester Surgical Skills and Simulation Centre (MSSSC) at the university.

The RCS has listened to the views of it’s over 25,000 members in the UK and internationally, and sought to setup a permanent home for the RCS outside of London, where its headquarters are.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“I’m incredibly proud that the Royal College of Surgeons has chosen to make Manchester its home in the North and Midlands. Greater Manchester is already leading the way as the first city-region in the UK to take control of its combined health and social care budgets. We want our model for health and social care to be an inspiration for the rest of the country.

“By establishing a new base in our city and at the University of Manchester in particular, it confirms that Manchester is viewed as a centre of innovation and excellence. We look forward to welcoming the many exceptional surgeons and medical professionals that the Royal College of Surgeons trains and supports to our wonderful city.”

Professor Derek Alderson said: “We are very pleased to be able to launch RCS North and Midlands today with the Mayor of Greater Manchester. We hope Manchester, and our members, will see it as a sign of our commitment to developing surgical skills, and innovation, throughout the country. The University of Manchester’s excellent facilities allow us to offer the wide range of cross-specialty training and professional development courses surgeons and other medical professionals have come expect from the RCS at the highest possible standards.”

Professor Peter Clayton, Head of the School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester said: “The role that the Royal Colleges play in benefiting patients and healthcare in the UK is immeasurable and the University is honoured and delighted that the College has chosen to partner with us to deliver a significant portion of its education programme and to establish a hub for the North and Midlands. For the surgeons who will pass through these doors, the value of being able to update their skills and the opportunity for the RCS to train more junior colleagues in a simulated environment will make a significant contribution to the skills of these professionals."