Doctors in the UK are raising concerns about the increasing use of physician associates (PAs) in the NHS, warning that it may risk patient safety and exacerbate inequalities in care, particularly in deprived areas struggling to recruit GPs. The issue has been highlighted by several incidents, including misdiagnoses by PAs who have only two years of training. There are also reports of PAs breaking patient confidentiality on social media. Dave Hay, a patient, assumed he was seeing a GP because the PA introduced herself as 'Dr'. The British Medical Association (BMA) and other medical professionals are urging the UK medical regulator to address these issues.
💬 “Because she’d introduced herself as ‘Dr’, I assumed she was a GP,” says Dave Hay 🩺 Physician Associates are being used to treat NHS patients – but doctors are concerned about patient safety 🔎 Big Read by @SarahGraham7 🔗 https://t.co/yifXA8F8Cp https://t.co/WnVJRbNAyx
My latest for @theipaper: I thought I was seeing a GP – but I was misdiagnosed by a physician associate https://t.co/wcNeZYyO6S Thanks to @wanderingwelch @TheDA_UK @dx_mighty and everyone else who spoke to me. @TheBMA @BMA_GP @rcgp
“I thought I was seeing a GP – but I was misdiagnosed by a physician associate” PA's - who have just two years training - are being used to treat NHS patients, but doctors are concerned about patient safety https://t.co/JPVjUaGx0M
I can't conceive of a GP (or any UK doctor) posting something so disrespectful & inappropriate as this - shared by a PA on Instagram, where there seems to be a vogue for endless such posts from PAs, often breaking patient confidentiality. Completely wrong. H/T @medicalmodelbri https://t.co/7qM89xMhsp
Doctors are warning the UK medical regulator that wider use of physician associates in the NHS may risk patient safety and lead to greater inequalities in care in deprived areas that struggle to recruit GPs If you are still not familiar with the PA scandal watch this film👇 https://t.co/jLUiJcytdh
Doctors are warning the UK medical regulator that wider use of physician associates in the NHS may risk patient safety and lead to greater inequalities in care in deprived areas that struggle to recruit GPs Is @wesstreeting listening? https://t.co/toNTHyScH0
This is exactly the problem with #ThePAProject #PhysicianAssociates, as was pointed out by @DrJohnCosgrove and @ImTheDoctor back in 2015... https://t.co/xLYXZWiOTf