The Department of Health has announced plans to recruit more physician’s assistants (PAs) to provide increased support in the diagnosis and management of patients in hospitals. There are already over 200 PAs working in the UK in a range of healthcare settings.
The Royal College of Physicians and the UK Association for Physician Associates welcomed the announcement, but said that statutory regulation would allow PAs to make a more effective contribution to the health service and the health economy, as well as offering better protection to the public.
The RCP and the UK Association of Physician Associates are currently setting up a new Faculty of Physician Associates, which would support and develop the role, including revalidation of PA courses, expanding the current programme of continuing professional development and managing recertification.
PAs currently undergo an intensive two year programme based on the medical model used to train doctors. There is a set national curriculum, which all universities who train PAs adhere to.This curriculum has been developed to ensure that PAs are trained to recognise, diagnose and manage common conditions under the supervision of a doctor.
According to RCP and the UK Association of Physician Associates, the number of PAs in the UK has been limited due to lack of regulation for the profession. At present there is a Managed Voluntary Register for PAs until statutory regulation can be achieved.
Commenting on the plans to recruit more physician’s assistants, Dr Mark Porter, chair of BMA Council said: “Physician assistants can be a valued part of the NHS and, as long as the scope of what they do is clear, they can provide an intermediate level of care and help reduce workload pressures. It's important that all healthcare profesionals, including doctors, are clear about the limits on the care they are able to provide, and work within them.
“Only doctors can provide certain types of care so the Government need to ensure that standards won't be affected by these changes and the quality of patient care will be protected and maintained. It’s also important that these new posts do not erode training opportunities for junior doctors, or undermine the vital role they play in delivering care.
“Crucially, these new posts cannot replace doctors and while they may alleviate some pressure on the system the Government also need to address the funding as well as recruitment and retention crisis which is adding to pressure on emergency medicine.”
