Our campaign for a pause on the roll-out of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) has been featured in the media after legislation on their regulation came a step nearer in Parliament.
GPOnline highlighted our calls for the process to be halted while ‘issues around scope and supervision are sorted’, and Pulse reported on our work with Anaesthetists United and a leading KC to see if there are grounds for any legal challenges.
The Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, which will establish the General Medical Council (GMC) as the regulator for AAs and PAs, passed the delegated legislation committee stage on Wednesday.
GPOnline reported our concerns that the issue was discussed by a small committee, away from the House of Commons Chamber, and did not receive the level of scrutiny we believe it should have been afforded.
GPOnline also reported our call to the House of Lords to ‘scrutinise the legislation’ when it goes before them, and that we are working with with Anaesthetists United and a leading KC about the potential for legal challenge.
The potential for a legal challenge was a focus for Pulse, which also reported our concerns about patient safety and the lack of scrutiny.
The news site Skwawkbox, meanwhile, highlighted a social media thread by our co-chair Dr Matt Kneale in which he explained the Government’s plans for PAs and AAs.
The thread was published on X, formerly Twitter, ahead of the debate and has received more than 1.3m views.
