THE new Dean of a medical school in York has revealed plans to expand the school, which she hopes to develop into one of the best in the country.

Professor Una Macleod, 51, became the Dean of the Hull York Medical School at the start of this year.

The school is a partnership between the universities of York and Hull, with teaching and learning facilities on the main campuses of both universities.

York Press:

Prof Macleod says there are plans to expand the school, starting in September 2018 when the school will be offering 12-14 extra training places to add to the 141 places it already offers each year.

The following year, it is hoping to increase this number again and to train more aspiring doctors, but it will have to bid for more places.

It comes after the government announced its intention to increase medical school places across England.

Prof Macleod said: "At the moment we have 141 places a year.

"We are one of the smaller school in the country. We are looking to expand in order to address local healthcare and primary care needs.

"For 2018 we have increased the number of places by 12-14.

"For 2019 we need to bid for new places. We are quite hopeful of getting more places. At the end of the summer we will start bidding for places and in about a year's time we will know if we have been successful."

Recent figures show the school is the sixth highest of all the medical schools in the UK in terms of the percentage of graduates who enter GP training.

Outlining her vision for the future of the school, she explained: "I really want the school to expand and to become much stronger. I want to be able to build on the past.

"It was established in 2003 and it has developed a reputation as one of the UK's most exciting medical schools.

"We have a reputation for training doctors who understand the population they serve and are excellent thinkers."

"My vision is to make it one of the best medical schools in the country."

Prof Macleod joined the school in 2010 as professor of primary care medicine and had previously worked in Glasgow, where she trained in medicine and had been senior lecturer in general practice and primary care and a half-time GP principal in the east end of the city.

Her research interests revolve around primary care and cancer, and health inequalities. She is a national leader in the area of cancer and early diagnosis research, has contributed significantly to policy development, and holds grants from Cancer Research UK, Yorkshire Cancer Research and the Department of Health Policy Research Unit programme in this area.