Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that physician associates do not act as prescribers.

The law does not currently allow physician assistants (PAs), still legally known as physician associates, to prescribe.

The General Medical Council, which regulates PAs, states on its website that PAs cannot prescribe, even if they hold prescribing rights from a previous profession and have previously been authorised to prescribe in that role by their employer.

Employers and system regulators, alongside professionals, are responsible for ensuring that individuals do not work outside of their scope of practise.