Britain to get its first Catholic medical school at London’s St Mary’s University

St Mary’s University has announced plans to open a new School of Medicine on its Strawberry Hill Campus in Twickenham, London.

The announcement from the Catholic university in the UK capital is big news for the Catholic community in Britain, especially coming at such a crucial and volatile time in the country’s healthcare landscape.

Assisted suicide could be about to be enshrined in UK law, with enormous implications when it comes to caring for the vulnerable and for the likes of current end-of-life practises and palliative care. At the same time, practices around abortion and medical “gender realignment” intervention remain in flux and contested in both the public domain and at the legislative level.

The news about the new school comes after the General Medical Council (GMC) “provided assurance” that St Mary’s University (SMU) “is currently on track and making good progress towards required standards for medical education”, states the university. It has announced that it will initially be recruiting international students and plans to welcome its first cohort to the new medical school in September 2026.

“The launch of a School of Medicine is a cornerstone of the University’s plan for strategic growth and is in keeping with our tradition of delivering a sustained, positive impact on society,” says St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Anthony McClaran.

“The school will not only contribute to the workforce development demands in the UK for more doctors and medical professionals, but it will also train global professionals able to work anywhere in the world.

“Our approach to developing the whole person during students’ time at SMU will mean medics of the future will leave this University with the technical and personal skills they need to deliver truly holistic, compassionate, patient-centred care.”

Interim Founding Dean of the School of Medicine, Professor Michael Bewick, states: “Complemented by the existing successful Allied Health and Sports Science provision, St Mary’s is the natural place to establish a forward-thinking centre of medical training.

“I am delighted we are making consistent steps forward in making this ambition a reality.”

SMU has also signed a new curriculum partnership with the University of Central Lancashire. The partnership will see SMU use the University of Central Lancashire’s Bachelor Medicine Bachelor Surgery (MBBS) curriculum in the development of its new School of Medicine and as part of the latter university’s commitment as SMU’s contingency partner throughout the GMC accreditation process.

“Opening a brand-new medical school will present St Mary’s University with the ability to teach the next generation of professionals in a modern way,” says Professor Cathy Jackson, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health and Campus Development) and the Founding Head of the University of Central Lancashire’s Medical School.

“When the University of Central Lancashire opened its new medical school, my team had the unique opportunity of writing a curriculum from scratch that would be fit for the long-term future.

“The University of Central Lancashire’s Medical School will now support St Mary’s new medical school as its contingent partner as it progresses through all the stages to full GMC accreditation, and I’m delighted they’ll now deliver the curriculum we created to their new cohort of students.”

The new School of Medicine will benefit from the latest technology, new facilities and advanced teaching practices, building on its proven history of teaching excellence and student satisfaction, according to SMU.

The university is currently placed in the Top 10 nationally for student experience and the Top 5 nationally for teaching quality in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

Regarding its Catholic mission and ethos, the SMU website states: “Catholic universities have a gift to offer the world which arises from our understanding of knowledge. We have a duty in teaching and research to ensure that the link between faith and reason is not severed.

“Saint John Henry Newman, the architect of the modern understanding of a Catholic university, argued that the soul of a University can be seen in the mark it leaves on its students.

“A Catholic university is a learning community which endeavours to develop the whole person in accordance with God’s will. A Catholic university should help in the building of character and its students should go on to serve society whilst practising the virtues in whatever they do in later life.”

The GMC oversees both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and training in the UK. Any institution looking to establish a new medical school or training programme must demonstrate that it meets the GMC’s standards by being subject to an extensive period of quality assurance.

As a result of the GMC’s initial green light, SMU has permission to move to the next phase of its School of Medicine development and the University notes that it will be submitting further evidence to GMC as it works towards the final timetable for the new medical school.

Photo: Part of the Saint Mary’s University campus seen from above; screenshot from stmarys.ac.uk.

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