The Wessex School of Medicine and Pathology aims to provide the highest quality of training to produce clinicians ready to move into senior, clinical and academic positions at the end of their training. We aim to meet the challenges of the local healthcare environment by promoting excellence and providing the best trained doctors possible and to ensure trainers and trainees feel a part of a valued environment. We work closely with the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Pathology and our local NHS hospitals to achieve these aims.
Training is widely recognised as a core activity of hospitals within the NHSE Wessex area, and we have excellent relationships with our hospitals and the University of Southampton. Each specialty manages a programme of specialty training days to meet the curricular requirements, and NHSE Wessex offers a wide range of programmes supporting personal and professional development including academic, teaching and leadership skills.
The educators throughout the region are enthusiastic trainers. There is also an active regional postgraduate teaching programme and local journal clubs are strongly encouraged. Opportunities to undertake research and audit projects are available in all hospitals.
School of Medicine
The School of Medicine is the largest specialty school in NHSE Wessex. It is the part of the organisation that is responsible for the quality assurance and overview of the education of trainees in core medical training and specialty trainees in medicine. We are accountable for:
- The recruitment to these posts
- Quality assuring the training in the NHS Trusts where trainees are placed
- Formal teaching programmes
- Pastoral support
- Programme leadership
- Administration
- ARCPs
In addition to specialty training posts we offer training programmes in core medicine. Rotations vary with either four or six-month attachments to a wide variety of specialties in hospitals across the region, with an emphasis on acquiring good general medical and acute medical skills in preparation for specialty training.
We offer training in the medical and pathology specialties listed. To find out more about each programme, please select the links.
School of Pathology
Pathologists study the causes of disease and the ways in which disease processes affect our bodies. Recognising the patterns that disease takes allows us to understand what’s at the root of a problem, enabling accurate diagnosis. Following up this understanding helps treatments to be devised and preventative measures to be put in place.
The achievements of modern pathology include:
- developing vaccines against major infectious diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, polio, influenza and meningitis
- managing the immune system for successful organ transplants
- monitoring drug treatment
- establishing a tissue diagnosis and a prognosis in tumours and inflammatory diseases
- enabling safe blood transfusion
- pinpointing the genetic causes of disease
The NHSE Wessex School of Pathology focuses on top-level clinical, generic and academic training within the pathology specialties. Opportunities for sub-specialty training exist in all of the pathology disciplines.
The School of Pathology programmes are designed to help trainees achieve the standards of the curricula set by the Royal College of Pathology and the Royal College of Physicians.
School of Medicine and Pathology Team
Our team consists of Fenella Williams and James Pillinger as Programme Managers, Hannah Cowburn and Katie Seeley as the Programme Officers and Zoe Liddiard as Programme Coordinator. We oversee all aspects of training within the training programmes such as recruitment activity and rotation planning.
Dr Alison Calver is the Head of School and Dr Susannah Brock is the Deputy Head of School.
If your query isn’t resolved using the frequently asked questions, please contact
england.medicine.wx@nhs.net