Physician associates could face more training and tougher regulation as part of a review ordered by the Health Secretary today.
Wes Streeting confirmed the roles of controversial physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) will be scrutinised following concerns over patient safety.
The announcement comes amid unrest over their growing use within the NHS, with several recent high-profile cases of people dying after consultations given by PAs.
Professor Gillian Leng, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, will lead the work looking into the roles, how they affect safety and how they support wider health teams, including GPs.
Reporting in the spring, the findings will include recommendations on how new roles should work in the future.
Mr Streeting said: ‘Many physician associates are providing great care and freeing up doctors to do the things only doctors can do.
‘But there are legitimate concerns over transparency for patients, scope of practice, and the substituting…
