DAUK chair Ms Helen Fernandes has contributed to an in-depth national newspaper article on physician associates (PAs).
The i News has explored the issues surrounding the role of PAs in GP surgeries and hospitals.
It looks at their regulation and the Government-commissioned Leng review into the safety of PA and anaesthesia associate roles and the contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
The article also covers the judicial review being brought by Anaesthetists United (AU), which is being supported by DAUK.
Physician associates
Ms Fernandes said there had been a failure to address the ‘scope and limitation’ of PAs. She added: “That leaves the PAs themselves, the doctors supervising them and, more importantly, the patients they care for in unsafe and uncharted territory.
“The proposal that the scope will be determined locally, by the employer, seems ridiculous given that is not what trusts are for in being able to define what a professional can do.”
Ms Fernandes also questioned whether there was actually a role for PAs in the NHS.
What do PAs bring to medical teams?
She said: “If they work with the more admin side of patient care and carried out limited amount of patient care, like blood pressure checks and blood tests… but there are already people who do these things all of whom are trained in these things, so what does a PA bring to a medical team?
“What unique skills do they bring? Well, the answer is none. There is no single college that supports the role.”
Read the article in full on the i News website.
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