Borders General Hospital named a University Hospital
Borders General Hospital has been officially named a University Hospital, marking a significant new chapter in the partnership between Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh and NHS Borders.
The recognition was confirmed as the two organisations signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening their shared commitment to workforce development, research, innovation and improved health outcomes for people and communities across the Borders.
This formal strategic partnership recognises the strong and longstanding relationship between Queen Margaret University and NHS Borders, particularly in supporting the education and development of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. Over several years, NHS Borders staff have made an important contribution to practice-based learning, curriculum development, teaching, and assessment to shape the healthcare workforce of the future.
The partnership will create new opportunities for workforce development and transformation, research collaboration, and knowledge exchange, bringing academic expertise and clinical practice closer together.
Queen Margaret University offers students the widest range of adult nursing and allied health professional courses of any university in Scotland, and its provision of healthcare education is central to its mission to create a better society. The new partnership provides an opportunity to utilise the University's expertise in healthcare education, applied research and innovation in support of health and care services in the Borders.
This is a proud moment for QMU and an important milestone in our relationship with NHS Borders. The partnership underpinning this recognition demonstrates the impact that can be achieved when higher education and healthcare providers work together with a shared purpose. By strengthening our partnership, we can support the education and development of healthcare professionals, expand research and innovation activity, and help address the challenges facing health and care services through evidence-based solutions. We are hugely excited about what we can achieve together.
The partnership has a particular focus on nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions (NMAHPs), recognising their vital contribution to person-centred care and the opportunities to further expand their role in research, education, leadership, and service improvement. It will create further opportunities for students, academics, and healthcare professionals to collaborate around the strategic priorities of both organisations.
University Hospital status is a significant milestone for NHS Borders and a powerful statement about our ambition for the future. This is much more than a change of name. It creates new opportunities for our staff and students, strengthens our ability to attract, develop and retain the workforce of the future, and increases our capacity to turn research and innovation into better care.
Our partnership with Queen Margaret University allows us to combine our strengths and build our academic and research capability. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved, but even more excited about what University Hospital status will enable us to achieve together for our workforce, our patients and the communities of the Scottish Borders.
Initial priorities for the partnership include the development of clinical academic ‘homes’ to support the transformation of musculoskeletal (MSK) and frailty roles, services and education, alongside joint student and staff research, innovation, and service improvement projects.
The partnership brings together QMU's strengths in healthcare education, person-centred care, applied research and innovation with NHS Borders’ ambition to transform care, strengthen its workforce and expand research and improvement activity. It also provides a valuable opportunity to develop and evaluate new approaches to healthcare and education delivery within a remote and rural setting, supporting both organisations’ commitment to reducing health inequalities and strengthening community-based care.
Professor Sara Smith, Dean of the School of Health Sciences at QMU, and Michelle O’Reilly, Chief Nurse Clinical and Professional Development at NHS Borders, will jointly oversee the partnership.
This partnership builds on an already strong foundation and creates new opportunities for students, academics, and healthcare professionals to share knowledge and expertise, and work collaboratively on shared strategic priorities. By combining academic expertise with frontline clinical insight, we can support innovation, strengthen professional development and deliver research that makes a meaningful difference to patient care and community health.
The five-year partnership will build on the work already taking place between the two organisations, with progress reviewed annually and success measured through student learning and experience, workforce development, research and innovation, clinical academic development and service improvement. This will help strengthen local health services and improve outcomes for patients and communities across the Borders.
For further media information contact Lynne Russell, Communications Manager, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: lrussell@qmu.ac.uk (copy to E: pressoffice@qmu.ac.uk).
