Physician associates have 'become substitutes' for doctors in many hospitals and GP surgeries, academic claims By Cameron Roy Published: 20:38 EDT, 10 July 2024 | Updated: 20:39 EDT, 10 July 2024 e-mail View comments Physician associates have 'become substitutes' for doctors in many hospitals and GP surgeries, a leading academic has said. Professor Martin McKee said there appears to be a 'powerful ideological pressure' to expand the roles across the NHS . Writing a commentary piece in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, he warned that 'growing concerns about patient safety have been ignored', though the situation 'may now be changing'.
Leading medics, including the Royal College of GPs and the British Medical Association, have called for a halt to the recruitment of physician associates (PAs) while concerns about the roles are addressed. Prof McKee, from the Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, highlighted measures which have been designed to increase the medical workforce in the UK, including the introduction of physician associates, the expansion of medical school places and proposals to 'shorten and simplify the medical degree'. Leading medics, including the Royal College of GPs and the British Medical Association, have called for a halt to the recruitment of physician associates (PAs) while concerns about the roles are addressed (stock image) Professor Martin McKee said there appears to be a 'powerful ideological p.
