The BMA’s General Practitioners Committee for the UK (GPC UK) has voted in favour of stopping hiring physician associates (PAs) in general practice, and for existing roles to be phased out.
Their view was made clear at a meeting of GPC UK on 17th October, where an overwhelming majority of members voted in favour of the following motion:1
This meeting believes that the role of physician associates in general practice is fundamentally unsafe and:
1. There should be no new appointments of physician associates in general practice
2. The role of physician associates in general practice should be phased out
3. The role of a physician associate is inadequately trained to manage undifferentiated patients, and there should be an immediate moratorium on such sessions.
The motion comes as the Royal College of General Practitioners recently changed its position on PAs, voting to oppose a role for them in general practice.
The BMA believes that those in existing PA roles should be given opportunities to retrain into more suitable ancillary NHS roles.
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of GPC UK at the BMA, said:
"We are aware that this is a challenging and politically heightened issue. At the heart of it is patient safety, which needs to be prioritised, alongside acknowledging the responsibilities of employing practices and welfare of existing employees.
"It’s no secret that we desperately need more staff in general practice, but we need be sure that staff who see patients are suitably trained and competent to see them unsupervised. Workload is inextricably linked to the recruitment and retention of the workforce, so additional roles should not generate more work for already-stretched GPs.
"We’d like to see PAs being given opportunities to retrain and take up other roles in the NHS, but the bottom line is getting more GPs into the workforce. We want to be able to give patients the care and services they need, when they need them, with the most appropriate clinician for their needs. To do that, the Government must urgently invest in practice staff such as GPs and general practice nurses.”
Notes to editors
- The motion passed in all parts.
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.