Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of trained doctors; and if he will make a statement.

The annual workforce census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that as at 30 September 2014 there were 4,662 more consultants and 2,389 more doctors in training working in the National Health Service in England than there were in September 2010.

The census also shows that there were 1,219 more qualified general practitioners (GPs) working in England over the same period.

The Government has maintained the number of undergraduate medical training places at a level sufficient to support continued increase in the medical workforce in England.Where there are shortages in specific specialties, the Department will work with Health Education England and NHS England to address them for example, through the ten point plan for the general practice workforce, which will boost recruitment, encourage experienced GPs to remain in the profession and support GPs to return to practice. The Government has also committed to providing an estimated 5,000 more doctors working in general practice by 2020.