Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to provide the same (a) terms and conditions and (b) job evaluation systems to (i) Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates and (ii) junior doctors.

The role of medical associates is to work with and support doctors and not to replace them. Physician Associates, Anaesthesia Associates, and doctors in training are employed under different contractual arrangements. Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates are employed on the Agenda for Change (AfC) contract. Doctors in training follow a distinct medical training pathway, and are employed on the NHS Doctors and Dentists in Training (2016) contract.

The National Health Service contracts reflect the different needs of different members of the workforce, and are managed by different collective bargaining structures. The AfC contract is managed by the NHS Staff Council and is underpinned by the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. There is no equivalent job evaluation scheme for doctors and dentists’ terms and conditions.

There are currently no plans for Physician Associates, Anaesthesia Associates, and doctors in training to be employed under the same terms and conditions, with the same job evaluation system.