Physician Associates

(asked on 11th January 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the physician associate role on patient (a) care and (b) outcomes in the NHS.


Answered by
Andrew Stephenson Portrait
Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 17th January 2024

Health Education England, now NHS England, has previously explored the value and potential of physician associates (PAs) as members of a multidisciplinary medical team through impact case studies, which are available at the following link:

https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/medical-associate-professions/impact-case-studies/physician-associate-role-primary-care-impact-case-study

There is ongoing work around the integration of medical associate profession roles, which include PAs and also anaesthesia associates and surgical care practitioners, as part of a Career Development Framework to support the overall objectives of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for these roles.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to expanding the PA role further whilst upholding the highest levels of patient safety and welfare. NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, royal colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.

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