Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to (a) allocate additional funding and (b) increase staff recruitment for NHS England in winter 2023-24.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to do so. We have invested an additional £1 billion to support capacity in urgent and emergency services this year, alongside a £250 million capital investment in hospital trusts, and £200 million for ambulances services.
This funding has been used to boost capacity in the health service this winter and beyond and aims to add 5,000 more staffed beds permanent bed base this winter, as well as increase the number of deployed ambulance hours on the road.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training programmes are available for physician associates in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Physician associates (PAs) must pass an intensive two-year university course at diploma or masters level to learn clinical knowledge and skills after completing a three-year biomedical or healthcare related degree. They train in both the acute sector and primary care to gain a rounded patient centred clinical experience. There are 36 PA schools across England and currently one PA school delivering the postgraduate degree apprenticeship for PA.
Subject to final training numbers and costs, NHS England estimates they will provide approximately £20.5 million for the training of 2,227 physician associates in the 2023/24 financial year broken down as follows:
- East of England: £2,252,701;
- London: £3,001,033;
- Midlands: £2,205,406;
- North East and Yorkshire: £2,493,019;
- North West: £4,178,322;
- South East: £2,804,249; and
- South West £1,742,302.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has provided for the training of physician associates in each region in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Physician associates (PAs) must pass an intensive two-year university course at diploma or masters level to learn clinical knowledge and skills after completing a three-year biomedical or healthcare related degree. They train in both the acute sector and primary care to gain a rounded patient centred clinical experience. There are 36 PA schools across England and currently one PA school delivering the postgraduate degree apprenticeship for PA.
Subject to final training numbers and costs, NHS England estimates they will provide approximately £20.5 million for the training of 2,227 physician associates in the 2023/24 financial year broken down as follows:
- East of England: £2,252,701;
- London: £3,001,033;
- Midlands: £2,205,406;
- North East and Yorkshire: £2,493,019;
- North West: £4,178,322;
- South East: £2,804,249; and
- South West £1,742,302.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to assess the adequacy of the contribution of physician associates to NHS healthcare teams.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Physician associates (PAs) are already a valued and integral part of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team. United Kingdom and international evidence highlights the contribution of PAs to healthcare teams.
One study published by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) in 2019 found that PAs positively contributed to the medical and surgical team, patient experience and flow, and to supporting the clinical teams' workload, and that they have the potential to contribute further with an expansion of their role. The review also found that PAs undertook significant amounts of ward-based clinical administration related to patients’ care and were reported to be safe.
Health Education England, now NHS England, and NIHR-funded research undertaken and/or led by Professor Vari Drennan MBE between 2011 and 2020 on the role of PAs in England is renowned evidence in this area and publicly available.
As part of its work to implement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, Royal Colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the physician associate role on patient (a) care and (b) outcomes in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Health Education England, now NHS England, has previously explored the value and potential of physician associates (PAs) as members of a multidisciplinary medical team through impact case studies, which are available at the following link:
There is ongoing work around the integration of medical associate profession roles, which include PAs and also anaesthesia associates and surgical care practitioners, as part of a Career Development Framework to support the overall objectives of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for these roles.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to expanding the PA role further whilst upholding the highest levels of patient safety and welfare. NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, royal colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent guidance her Department has issued to NHS Trusts on the scope of practice for physician associates; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of amending this scope of practice.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Physician associates (PAs) work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence, aligned to an established curriculum, under the supervision of a designated senior doctor. Their detailed scope of practice in a given setting is circumscribed by that of the supervising doctor.
On 13 December 2023, the department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that, subject to parliamentary scrutiny, will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to commence regulation of PAs by the end of 2024.
Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct and define the capabilities required of newly qualified PAs. PAs will also be required to follow the duties set out in in the GMC’s Good medical practice 2024, including practising only within their competence.
Ahead of regulation, the GMC and the Faculty of PAs at the Royal College of Physicians have issued guidance for PAs, supervisors, employers and organisations to help provide a structured and standardised way of using the PA role. NHS England is also working with National Health Service trusts and professional bodies to encourage them to set out how the PA scope of practice and role can further develop after initial qualification.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken recent steps to undertake research into patient (a) perceptions and (b) satisfaction levels of the standard of care provided by physician associates in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst the Department has not undertaken research in this area, there is evidence in the United Kingdom and internationally that highlights the contribution of physician associates (PAs) to healthcare teams.
One study published by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) in 2019 found that PAs positively contributed to the medical and surgical team, patient experience and flow, and to supporting the clinical teams' workload, and that they have the potential to contribute further with an expansion of their role. The review also found that PAs undertook significant amounts of ward-based clinical administration related to patients’ care and were reported to be safe.
Research funded by Health Education England, now NHS England, and NIHR, and undertaken and/or led by Professor Vari Drennan MBE between 2011 and 2020 on the role of PAs in England is renowned evidence in this area and publicly available.
As part of its work to implement the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, Royal Colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to integrate physician associates into multidisciplinary teams in the NHS; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of this process on (a) team dynamics and (b) the delivery of patient care.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Physician associates (PAs) are already a valued and integral part of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to expanding the role further whilst upholding the highest levels of patient safety and welfare.
On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to commence regulation of PAs by the end of 2024. Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct which will enable PAs to make a greater contribution to clinical teams and patient care. Ahead of regulation, the GMC and the Faculty of PAs at the Royal College of Physicians have issued guidance for supervisors, employers and organisations to help provide a structured and standardised way of using the PA role.
Health Education England, now NHS England, has previously explored the value and potential of PAs as members of the multidisciplinary medical team through impact case studies, which are available at the following link:
There is ongoing work by NHS England to further integrate medical associate profession roles, which include PAs and also anaesthesia associates and surgical care practitioners.
NHS England will continue to seek feedback from employers, regulators, royal colleges and professional bodies regarding the PA role and will work to develop and implement any recommendations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent guidance her Department has issued to NHS Trusts on the integration of physician associates into healthcare teams.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has worked with royal colleges and the General Medical Council (GMC) to develop appropriate curricula, core capability and career frameworks, standards for continued professional development, assessment and appraisal and supervision guidance for the physician associate (PA) role.
NHS England continues to work with partners, including the GMC and medical royal colleges, to ensure that PAs can be effectively trained and integrated into teams across a range of specialties through the ongoing development of national standards, a defined scope of practice, and assessment of educational capacity.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the physician associate role on workforce availability in areas of high patient demand for NHS services.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England uses evidence and knowledge from bibliographic databases. There is also a significant body of peer-reviewed evidence from the United Kingdom and internationally on physician associates and anaesthesia associates which is available in the public domain. It demonstrates that these roles, appropriately supervised, improve access for patients, help reduce waiting lists and cut the workload for medically qualified staff.