Calls mount for independent review into physician associates
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/calls-mount-independent-review-physician-associates
LEADING medics demanded an independent review into physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) to investigate concerns around patient safety today.
Plans have been outlined to expand the number of PAs and AAs across the NHS to 10,000 by 2037.
Unlike doctors, who study medicine for five years and undertake two years of placements, medical associates qualify from a two-year master’s degree.
The roles have faced backlash over concerns that they will replace trained doctors.
This intensified after a 29-year-old woman died in 2022 after being misdiagnosed twice by a PA she thought was a GP.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting and NHS chief Amanda Pritchard to call for a rapid review to “clarify claims around their safety and usefulness in patient-facing roles” and examine if the roles are cost effective, efficient and safe for patients.
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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/calls-mount-independent-review-physician-associates