Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase the number of NHS staff providing rheumatology care in (a) the South East London Integrated Care System and (b) England.

In January 2023 Health Education England announced that nearly 900 additional medical specialty training posts have been created for this year, including five rheumatology posts. The Government has also funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places per year for domestic students in England, which is a 25% increase, taking the total number of medical school places in England to 7,500 each year. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and delivered five new medical schools in England. This will help ensure a larger potential pipeline for rheumatology trainees in coming years across England, including in the South East London Integrated Care System.

Specialising in Rheumatology is a post-registration option for nurses and allied health professionals. The Government is on track to ensure there are at least an additional 50,000 nurses in place by 31 March 2024 compared to September 2019, which will increase the pool of nurses who may wish to specialise in rheumatology.

Rheumatology services are generally commissioned locally by integrated care boards which have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their whole population.