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Written question asked by Caroline Johnson (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 February 2026 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Tuesday, 3 February 2026. A substantive answer was provided by Karin Smyth (Labour) on Thursday, 5 February 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Medicine: Training

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional medical places are funded in start in 2026 compared with 2025.

Answer

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school places on an annual basis. For the 2025/26 academic year, the OfS has published the maximum fundable limit at 8,126 for medical school places, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/finance-and-funding/medicine-and-dentistry-funding/medical-and-dental-maximum-fundable-limits/

OfS will publish the limit for the 2026/27 academic year in due course.

There are currently approximately 9,500 specialty training places. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
108724
Session
2024-26
Related items
Deposited Paper DEP2025-0460
Monday, 7 July 2025
Deposited papers
House of Lords
Subjects
Finance Medicine Training
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk