The Kent and Medway region has some of the highest levels of health inequality in the UK and severe workforce challenges caused by shortages of both GPs and secondary care doctors, and the drain of aspiring doctors out of the region for medical training. In 2020, a partnership between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent, secured £30m+ in funding to establish Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS), to tackle the challenges, poor health and life outcomes facing the region’s ageing, coastal and hard to reach communities.

In establishing this regional centre for medical education and research, KMMS will contribute to the ‘medical corridor’ envisaged by the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission, with the first cohort of medical students due to graduate in September 2025.

Across the 5 years of their course, KMMS Students undertake a wide variety of placements across the region. To facilitate this, KMMS is now working with 34 Primary Care Networks; 4 acute hospital trusts; the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust; 6 Urgent Treatment centres and 13 observational placement partners including Integrated Carer 24 (NHS 111 service deliverer); hospices and optometrists.
KMMS runs a Patient Engagement Programme, incorporating the patient and carer voice into the learning environment. This programme enables the community to help shape the training, assessment and selection of future doctors.
In 2023. KMMS appointed its first Directors of Research who have developed a diverse portfolio of global, national and regional research projects, bringing in extensive funding to the school.
In 2024. KMMS won substantial grants (£1.4m) from the National Institute of Health Research to launch an Integrated Academic Training Programme, introduce a research internship programme, and fund intercalated degrees for some students.

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