Media releases
Click on a date below to display media releases.
Foundation-laying for £11.5 million medical and dental school facility in Truro
22.09.08
The Peninsula Medical School and Peninsula Dental School extension to the Knowledge Spa in Truro will achieve another milestone when it celebrates its foundation-laying ceremony on Monday 22nd September. Officiating at the ceremony will be Lady Mary Holborrow, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Cornwall.
The extension will be home to the Peninsula Dental School in Cornwall and an expansion for the Peninsula Medical School, including new research activities in to the Environment and Human Health.
The Peninsula Dental School, which is the first new dental school in the UK for 40 years, will open in Truro in early 2010 when the School's first students will transfer to Truro to continue their training. The facility will include 32 dental chairs arranged in groups of eight for training purposes, four single surgeries for individual requirements, and research and office provision. Both the building and research facilities have received investment from the ERDF Convergence Programme.
Routine treatments for NHS patients will begin when the facility opens, and it is hoped that it will be particularly attractive to those currently without NHS dental provision. Details regarding how to access treatments will be announced nearer the time. When the facility is running at full capacity it will see 128 NHS patients a day.
Research on the Environment and Human Health is a major new venture for the Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry (PCMD), building on existing strengths and opportunities in Cornwall. The aim is to build substantial international level research expertise in key areas of the interface between individuals and populations, and the environment. Early phases are part of a recently funded initiative in improving health outcomes through effective implementation of research, (PenCLAHRC). The second phase is part of PCMD’s proposals for Convergence funding, as a partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC).
The research will look at the impact of the changing environment on human health - such as UV rays and other effects of climate change, toxic substances, including natural and synthetic substances, nanotechnology, and other issues. In a novel venture, research will also be done on the opportunities that the environment presents to improve human health. Working closely with agencies such as Natural England and the Environment Agency, we will investigate the benefit to health of 'green gyms' (where people achieve goals working as part of their communities in the natural environment) and the feasibility of 'green prescriptions' (where research into the benefits of activity in the natural environment could lead to their being prescribed by doctors).
Professor Liz Kay, Dean of the Peninsula Dental School, said: "This is a significant event for the Peninsula Dental School in Cornwall and we are delighted that Lady Mary Holborrow will be able to officiate at the ceremony. We look forward now to opening our doors early next year and to contributing to dental education, research and care in the county.”
Professor Tony Pinching, Associate Dean for Cornwall at the Peninsula Medical School, added: "The development of substantive research on the theme of Environment and Human Health focused in Cornwall, as part of the College’s expanding research activities, is of major importance to the county. I have been determined that the Cornwall Locality of the College plays a unique and substantial part in research, as well as in the teaching of medical and dental students. This is to maximise the gains locally from having the College here, and to ensure that Cornwall makes its own distinctive contribute to our academic effectiveness. This initiative is part of a wider range of programmes being considered by partners in the Combined Universities in Cornwall, much of which is being considered for Convergence. We aim to build academic and business expertise in these niche areas, creating opportunities for Cornwall to become recognised internationally as the place to conduct such work.”
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, added: "This ERDF Convergence Programme investment will ensure that top quality education, research and career opportunities are expanded together in Cornwall. This in turn will attract more business and strengthen the economy.”
Investment for the project has come from the European Convergence Programme managed by South West Regional Development Agency, and the project is a joint venture between the Peninsula Dental School, the Peninsula Medical School, Cornwall and isles of Scilly PCT and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. Construction will be carried out by Interserve Health.
For further information:
Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager for the Convergence Partnership Office
01872 223439 / 07973 813647
cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk
Peninsula Medical School/Peninsula Dental School
Wendy Wilson
01752 437441 / 07870271561
wendy.wilson@pms.ac.uk
Combined Universities of Cornwall
David Kirk
01209 721075 / 07834676942
David.Kirk@cuc.ac.uk
Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust
Laura Mason
01872 252934
Laura.Mason@rcht.cornwall.nhs.uk
PR Works
Andrew Gould
01392 686107
media@pr-works.co.uk
Editors' notes:
The foundation-laying event will begin at 12.30 with a buffet lunch and speeches, followed by the foundation laying ceremony at 2.30pm. Local media are most welcome to come to the event.
The Peninsula Medical School and Peninsula Dental School are joint entities of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in the South West of England, and a partner of the Combined Universities in Cornwall. The Peninsula Medical School has created for itself an excellent national and international reputation for groundbreaking research in the areas of diabetes and obesity, neurological disease, child development and ageing, clinical education and health technology assessment. The Peninsula Dental School was established in 2006 following a successful bid by the Peninsula Medical School. It is the first new dental school in the UK for 40 years.
