Patient volunteers are being recruited to help train up the next generation of doctors and nurses

The School of Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is looking for patients happy to allow students to record their medical histories or, in some cases, carry out medical examinations.

Volunteers can attend sessions just once or twice a year as well as choosing to be more active participants.

Patients suffering from diabetes, chest diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis or related illnesses, heart problems such as angina, previous heart attack or operations, valve diseases or related illnesses, as well as kidneys or bladder issues, conditions related to the gastrointestinal system or neurological problems such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, previous stroke history, and previous surgeries on the spine or brain are particularly sought after.

Professor Cathy Jackson, head of the School of Medicine, said: “By giving us just a few hours a month members of the public can make a major difference.

"Our students learn the theory and knowledge that underpins their professional role in the classroom, but putting their knowledge into practice is an entirely different proposition.

“More than 80 per cent of the diagnosis procedure is based on listening to the patient so our student doctors really must have excellent communication, patient care and decision making skills.

"This is something they can only learn by working with real patients.

"We’d like our volunteers to provide feedback directly to students on their performance and behaviours.

“We’ve listed a number of areas where we’re looking for patient volunteers with specific conditions but we’re open to enquiries from patients with any disorder who would be interested in helping to train our doctors of the future, many of whom will work in Lancashire and Cumbria.”

To thank volunteers for giving up their time university bosses said they will pay the travel expenses for patients and offer volunteers a social gathering twice a year with staff from the school.

UCLan's five-year undergraduate medical programme, the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), is the main source of new doctors across the orth West.

Students carry out clinical placements in secondary care at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) at both the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals.

From September 2017, UCLan has partnered with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) and North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust (NCUHT) to offer scholarships for its medicine degree, aimed specifically at students residing in the East Lancashire and Cumbria regions.

Anyone interested in becoming a patient volunteer should emai: MedVolunteerPatient@uclan.ac.uk.