A shortage of doctors is being addressed in Bradford with a huge rise in the number of medical students being trained in the city's hospitals.

A successful bid by health and social care organisations in Bradford, Airedale and Leeds, and the University of Leeds and University of Bradford, for the extra students means that by 2008 the number of placements in Bradford's hospitals will rise from 360 to 970 per year.

The move will not only address the need for more skilled staff in the NHS, but will pave the way for developing more home-grown doctors.

The first influx of 60 second-year medical students at Leeds Medical School arrived three weeks ago and have spent each Friday morning developing patient skills under the guidance of doctors and nurses.

The expansion, which is a tripling of the Trust's teaching commitments, means Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust has been given the go-ahead by the Government to add the word "teaching" to its title.

With the medical school expansion there will also be an extra 11 academic appointments to carry out research, which should bring many benefits for the Trust.

David Wilkinson, director of undergraduate medical education at the Trust, said: "It will encourage innovation and bring in thinkers and bright sparks who will spread enthusiasm throughout the Trust.

"It will make the recruitment of quality staff a lot easier, as well as retention of staff, as people will want to stay.

"Teaching status implies certain standards are in place."

The increase in the number of medical students will open the door to a medical career for students from deprived or culturally diverse communities.

Mr Wilkinson said: "We are concentrating on recruiting under-represented groups. Bradford University will take people from a wider background, people who would not have previously considered medicine as a career.

"We are going into local schools and saying that this is an option."

The extra medical placements in Bradford will equip students with skills in tackling diseases and ailments which are more common in ethnic minority groups, such as heart disease, renal failure and diabetes.

Up to 30 per cent of patients in Bradford are from ethnic minority groups and some of the students who qualify will be treating people from their own communities.

Tim Killeen, 21, is one of the second-year students being introduced to dealing with patients.

"Being in Bradford is a lot nicer than I expected," he said. "Everyone is friendly and enthusiastic about teaching."