Doctors graduate early as the University of Plymouth boosts support for NHS

The next generation of doctors from @PlymUnih’s Peninsula Medical School celebrated the start of a new chapter today, as they graduated early to support the #NHS in its hour of need.

Most of the School’s 78 final-year medics took part in the virtual ceremony, on the day the nation claps for its NHS, keyworker and carer heroes, and in the week many of them took up posts three months earlier than usual.

With family and friends able to watch live, or catch up afterwards, on a private YouTube feed, the event included speeches from the Vice-Chancellor Professor Judith Petts CBE, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Professor Sube Banerjee, and Professor Hisham Khalil, Head of the Peninsula Medical School and a practising Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon.

The NHS itself was also represented, with speeches from the Chief Executive of University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Ann James and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Liz Davenport.

The interactive virtual graduation was made possible by First Sight Media, a live streaming and video production company who donated their services for free to ensure the students were able to celebrate their graduation and begin their work supporting frontline NHS staff.