Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of (a) patient knowledge of the training physicians associates receive and (b) information available in general practice for patients on physician associates.

On 20 November 2024, the Government announced that it is establishing an independent review of the physician associate and anaesthesia associate professions. It will consider the safety of the roles, and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The review will report in spring 2025.

The introduction of regulation by the General Medical Council (GMC) will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for the clinical practice of Physician Associates (PAs) and make it easier for employers, patients, and the public to understand the relationship between these roles and that of doctors.

As set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, all healthcare professionals directly involved in a patient's care should introduce themselves and explain their role to the patient. The GMC has published interim standards for PAs in advance of regulation, which make it clear that professionals should always introduce their role to patients, and set out their responsibilities in the team. In primary care, NHS England has produced patient-facing materials that have been shared widely with general practices to support patient awareness and understanding of the PA role.