Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government which profession has primary responsibility for providing initial point of contact care for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, and whether physician associates are the appropriate profession for this work.

While general practice (GP) remains at the heart of primary care, a wide range of clinicians are well suited to supporting patients in GP, as part of multi-disciplinary teams. This includes Physician Associates (PAs), who work alongside GPs and the wider practice teams, to provide care. PAs are not substitutes for GPs or doctors in training, rather they are specifically trained to work collaboratively with doctors and others. PAs work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence. NHS England has provided recent guidance on the use of PAs in GP teams.

As set out in the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service, where their named GP supervisor is satisfied that adequate supervision, supporting governance and systems are in place, PAs can provide first point of contact care for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems. Underpinning this is the supervising GP’s confidence in the PA’s competence, based on the knowledge and skills gained through their training and development.