Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the debate on the Draft Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, on Wednesday 17 January 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by the Kings Fund entitled Royal College of Physicians Independent learning review following the Royal College of Physicians’ Extraordinary General Meeting 2024.
The Royal College of Physicians is an independent organisation, and they have responded to the review by The Kings Fund that they commissioned, with further information available at the following link:
The legislation to introduce statutory regulation for Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) was subject to debate in the Scottish Parliament and in both Houses of Parliament earlier this year. Regulation of PAs and AAs by the General Medical Council (GMC) will begin in December 2024. The GMC will set standards of practice, education, and training, and operate fitness-to-practice procedures to ensure that PAs and AAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.