Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of hospital doctors in Cumbria.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has recruited 123 substantive new doctors and reduced its medical agency usage by 40% in 2021. The Trust has a number of medical recruitment and retention initiatives, such as alternative routes to develop and retain consultant grade staff.

The Department is working with Health Education England and NHS England and NHS Improvement to review the distribution of specialty training posts in England, including in Cumbria. This will align specialty training placements to the areas of greatest need in England. We have also funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England.