Trust chiefs celebrate Bassetlaw Hospital's new '˜teaching' status

The Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust officially became a Teaching Hospital this week, supported by Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield.

It is hoped the move will enhance the Trust’s education and training capacity, grow research capability and improve the recruitment and retention of staff at its Bassetlaw and Doncaster sites.

Mike Pinkerton, chief executive at the Trust, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I want to, in particular, share my thanks with our partners at both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, as well as our dedicated team at the Trust, whose hard work has enabled the organisation to take this next exciting step forward.

“Achieving this status will not only allow us to enhance our services, but is also a recognition of our achievements in providing high quality education and research and will be a huge benefit, both in our communities and regionally.”

By 2018, the Trust is projecting to train 25 per cent of the medical students in the region- and is already training 30 per cent of all non-medical students.

Professor Deborah Murdoch-Eaton, dean of medical education at the University of Sheffield, said: “Our students report positive experiences at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals, and there is an active approach to developing effective recruitment, retention and learning strategies jointly with the University.

“By 2018, 25 per cent of our students will undertake their core placements within the Trust.

“The Trust has shown a strong commitment to continuous improvement and we are entirely supportive of its Teaching Hospital status as this will only strengthen our partnership in the years to come.”