Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 44144 on Armed Forces: Training, what steps he has taken to help improve the OFSTED rating of the Defence Medical Academy.

Following an OFSTED inspection in December 2023, Defence Medical Academy (DMA) have addressed all areas requiring improvement and continue to do so. The steps taken have included establishing a structured process to develop the curriculum, increased coordination, oversight, and assurance of training placements, a higher level of scrutiny on resource management, a focus on welfare and significant cultural changes to improve both the morale of trainees and training personnel.

The Defence Medical Services (Whittington) Site now meets the Defence Minimum Standards for accommodation and is used as an example of best practice owing to the excellent relationships fostered between the site and contractors.

The Defence Medical Academy is also required to undertake an annual assessment of its performance, this was last completed in October 2024. Given the improvements made across all four Ofsted Key Judgement Areas, the Defence Medical Academy is currently assessed as ‘good’.