Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure adequate (a) public and (b) clinical understanding of the functions of medical associate professions.

The Department is working with the General Medical Council (GMC), Health Education England (HEE) and other key stakeholders to ensure that there is adequate public and clinical understanding of the roles of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs).

The GMC is developing a communications programme to raise awareness among doctors of the PA and AA roles. It is also holding a patient roundtable which will explain the role of PAs and AAs. The GMC will use the roundtable as an opportunity to ask patient organisations how best to raise the profile of PAs and AAs and develop patient understanding of what they do.

HEE has set up a Medical Associate Professions (MAP) Oversight Board which is developing a MAPs career framework to establish common standards for continuing professional development and a strong quality management framework.