Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the national coverage of consultant dermatologists, particularly in rural or remote areas.

Dermatology is a highly competitive specialty training pathway and often oversubscribed. Nationally and locally there has been a 100% fill rate in dermatology training for the past four years.

There has been a 22% increase in full time equivalent (FTE) dermatologists (doctors at the consultant grade) in post since September 2010, with 1,049 FTE dermatologists working in the National Health Service in November 2018.

The number of medical specialty training places that are available each year is set by Health Education England and is based on their assessment of service gaps and predicted workforce needs.

It is the responsibility of individual NHS trusts to have staffing arrangements in place that deliver safe and effective care. This includes recruiting the staff needed to support these levels and meet local needs.