St Mary’s University School of Medicine believes it can only be properly socially accountable if we produce doctors who take a holistic and ethical approach to their patient’s needs.
Social accountability is our commitment to ensure that what we teach, research and contribute through service is directed towards the priority health concerns of the communities we serve and that we are transparent and answerable for whether we are doing so.
Through our local conversations, we have come to understand social accountability not as a statement of intent, it’s about holding ourselves within the School and the wider University accountable for outcomes in relation to who we connect with and how we reach diverse communities, who belongs, who benefits, and where inequalities persist. This includes recognising that people’s experiences of health are psychological as well as physical and social.
Voices from our community
- “Our everyday support comes from each other, not from organisations.”
- “We can learn from parents and community networks, because they often provide the support services do not.”
- “We should treat peer support as a core part of care, not an optional extra.”
- “We should make learning a two-way relationship, students learn with communities, and communities shape what students learn.”
- “The School of Medicine must build relationships that prepare students for real life practice and prepare the School to be accountable to the communities it serves.”
What the Social Accountability Framework (SAF) looks like now
The SAF is designed to be clear and practical. It sets out values, commitments, and what the School of Medicine will do in everyday practice.
The framework is constantly evolving and will continue to develop over time, through ongoing learning, reflection and dialogue.