Doctors have attacked the medical regulator for dismissing the risks of ‘cheap’ medics putting patients at risk
- The government said it would recruit 10,000 PAs over the next fifteen years
Doctors have attacked the medical regulator for dismissing concerns that low-cost doctors, so-called Physician Associates (PAs), are putting patients at risk.
The government said it would recruit 10,000 PAs over the next 15 years, who will receive a two-year health care training so they can assist doctors and nurses.
However, hundreds of doctors and the British Medical Association are pushing back against the move, following cases where PAs have made mistakes that led to the death or serious injury of patients.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is expected to soon publish guidance on how it will regulate PAs – currently they cannot be held responsible for their mistakes. But the MoS can reveal that the GMC believes concerns about PAs will ‘dissipate over time’.
The claim was made by a GMC employee at a meeting in May and became public following a Freedom of Information request.
The government said it would recruit 10,000 PAs over the next fifteen years – who will receive a two-year training in healthcare so they can assist doctors and nurses (Stock Image)
An employee suggested the GMC should reconsider its ‘communications strategy’ following the high-profile death of 30-year-old Emily Chesterton (pictured), who died when a PA dismissed her blood clot symptoms as anxiety.
At the same meeting, a staff member suggested the GMC reconsider its ‘communications strategy’ following the high-profile death of 30-year-old Emily Chesterton, who died when a PA dismissed her symptoms of blood clots as anxiety.
Doctors believe the comments show the GMC is not taking the risk seriously. “PAs pose a risk to patient safety, so it is alarming that the GMC believes doctors’ concerns will go away,” said Dr Matt Kneale, co-chair of Doctors’ Association UK. “Our concerns will not go away.”
A GMC spokesperson said: ‘PAs are an important part of the healthcare system. Regulating these roles will play a crucial role in keeping patients safe.”