Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that physician associates are used appropriately and with adequate GP supervision at practices run by Operose Health in Newham; and what recent assessment he has made of the impact that an increase in the use of physician associates as substitutes for GPs in practices will have on (a) patient safety and (b) the efficacy of NHS healthcare.

All providers of National Health Service general practitioner (GP) services are subject to the same requirements, regulation and standards and we expect commissioners to take action if services are not meeting the reasonable needs of patients.

Physician associates (PAs) are not a substitute for a GP. The use of PAs in primary care is detailed in the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service, which describes the role and tasks a PA funded by the Additional Role Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) would be expected to undertake. This includes the expectation of the supervision of PAs. Primary Care Networks (PCNs) have access to the ARRS, which provides funding to recruit additional direct patient care roles and build multi-disciplinary teams. PAs are one of 15 roles which PCNs can recruit to best meet local need.