Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has written to university vice-chancellors to request that they cap the number of medical school places on offer; and if her Department will take steps to work with the Department of Health and Social Care to help raise the cap on new medical students in England.

Medical and dental school places are capped to ensure teaching, learning and assessment standards are maintained as well as ensuring there are enough high quality placements for each student.

The number of places available to study medicine and dentistry is regulated by the government. The Department for Health and Social Care, in consultation with Health Education England, is responsible for the setting of medical and dentistry caps.

The cap on medical school places was temporarily lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years. There will not be fewer government-funded places in 2023 as a result.

I have written a letter to higher education Vice-Chancellors which referenced the cap on medical and dental school places and reminded them to remain within their five-year rolling medical and dentistry intake targets.

Health Education England recently announced financial support for the new medical apprenticeship to increase numbers of doctors where they are needed most. This will make careers in medicine more accessible and will provide an alternative route into medicine to help deliver a diverse and sustainable workforce. There is now a complete apprentice pathway from entry to postgraduate advanced clinical practice.

The government has committed to publishing a Long-Term Workforce Plan this year and this will include independently verified projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed in 5, 10 and 15 years’ time, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. This plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.

The department will continue to work with the Department for Health and Social Care to monitor current arrangements.