NEWS: Government Launches Review Into Medical Roles

As reported by The Herald, concerns about patient safety and clarity on physician and anaesthesia associate roles spark a government-led review, with findings due next spring

The Government has launched a review of the role of physician associates (PAs) and those working in anaesthesia after concerns were raised about patient safety. Professor Gillian Leng, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, will lead the work looking into how the roles affect safety and how they support wider health teams including GPs.

The review, which will report in the spring, will also publish recommendations on how new roles should work in the future. The current plan is to expand the number of PAs in England from 3,500 to 10,000 by 2036/37, and to take on 2,000 more anaesthesia associates (AAs).

It comes after the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting in September calling for a review of PAs and AAs amid “mounting concern” from doctors. The academy called on the Government and NHS England to look at whether associates are having a negative impact on patient safety, whether they really free up doctors’ time for other tasks and whether they improve the overall quality of care for patients.

The Royal College of GPs has issued its own guidance saying PAs must not see patients who have not been triaged by a GP, and should only
undertake work delegated to them by, and agreed with, their GP supervisor.

Wes Streeting said: “Many physician associates are providing great care and freeing up doctors to do the things only doctors can do.

“But there are legitimate concerns over transparency for patients, scope of practice and the substituting of doctors.

“These concerns have been ignored for too long, leading to a toxic debate where physicians feel ignored and PAs feel demoralised.

“This independent review, led by one of the UK’s most experienced healthcare leaders, will establish the facts, take the heat out of the issue, and make sure that we get the right people, in the right place, doing the right thing.”