Partnership agreement between University of Cumbria and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to benefit patients, the workforce and region

Leaders from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust have attended a ceremony at the University of Cumbria Lancaster campus to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise the organisations’ partnership. 

Those attending the ceremony included University of Cumbria’s Vice Chancellor Professor Julie Mennell DL, Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Webster-Henderson OBE, and Professor Karen Stansfield, Dean of the university’s respected Institute of Health. 

They were joined by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust’s chair Mike Thomas, Chief Medical Officer Jane McNicholas, and Chief Nursing Officer Tabetha Darmon. 

University of Cumbria’s Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Webster-Henderson OBE said: “We are proud of the long-standing relationship that our university and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust have, and this Memorandum of Understanding puts this on a more formal footing.  We work closely together on a wide variety of workforce and education issues that strengthen our region’s healthcare workforce with innovations and provide a range of healthcare practitioners to the Trust including nurses, midwives, occupational therapists and diagnostic radiographers to name a few.”  

Professor Karen Stansfield, Dean of the University of Cumbria Institute of Health, said: “Our teaching and applied research transforms the lives and livelihoods of our students and communities, and we’re delighted to be recognised as one of the best in the country when it comes to outcomes for graduates in employment and further study. 

“Embracing our civic responsibilities as a university of and for our region, it is also our priority to partner with employers to equip our graduates with the higher-level skills, knowledge and experiences they need to undertake professional roles that support our communities to thrive now and in the future.” 

Above: UHMBT chair Professor Mike Thomas and UoC Vice Chancellor Professor Julie Mennell at the signing

The Memorandum of Understanding confirms that the university and the hospital trust will work together on projects that will bring mutual benefit to students, university and trust colleagues, patients, and be of local value. Areas of collaboration will include research and knowledge exchange; developing existing health and care systems that will be able to respond to the changing needs of the population; current and future technologies; education; innovation; building international links; and attracting and retaining workforce talent and students.  

Professor Mike Thomas, chair of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are proud to be working collaboratively with University of Cumbria. The overall aim is that we use our collective knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the communities that we serve.  

“We now look forward to also developing similar agreements with other local employers who share our passion for improving the health and wellbeing of local people. 

 “The partnership with the university will enhance the care our colleagues provide to the local community each and every day.” 

Also joining the signing ceremony was Martin Lupton Vice Dean (Education) for the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London representing the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine - Cumbria’s first graduate-entry medical school that will welcome its first students in 2025 working with UHMBT in Barrow and Kendal as part of its footprint in the south of the county.  

The medical school is a unique partnership between University of Cumbria and Imperial College London designed to meet the region’s needs. The innovative new medical school is embedded in the communities of Cumbria and offers learning opportunities across the region. Its bespoke four-year programme blends expertise from the highly rated MBBS programme at Imperial College London, with University of Cumbria’s longstanding reputation in training allied health professionals. 

The Memorandum of Understanding cements the long-standing relationship the organisations enjoy in strengthening the healthcare workforce across south Cumbria and north Lancashire, improving patient outcomes through high quality care, often devising innovative and bespoke programmes to address key areas and emerging needs. 

Examples of this have been the creation of the trailblazing Nursing Associate programme and the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship that was a UK first when it launched in 2018, along with the appointment earlier this year of Scott McLean, the NHS Trust’s Chief Operating Officer, as a Visiting Professor to the university’s Institute of Health. 

As well as educating future healthcare professionals, the university and trust co-create programmes of continuing professional development (CPD) for existing employees who wish to expand their knowledge and expertise. 

WATCH: Professor Karen Stansfield, Dean, Institute of Health, University of Cumbria describe what the new partnership means

WATCH: Professor Mike Thomas, UHMBT chair explain the benefits of working with University of Cumbria

ENDS