Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will conduct a review of the competencies of (a) anaesthesia associates and (b) physician associates, in the context of the clarification of the different competencies of registered doctors.

Anaesthesia associates (AA) and physician associates (PA) play an important role in multidisciplinary teams and complement the work of doctors. On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that, subject to parliamentary scrutiny, will empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to commence regulation for the two roles from December 2024.

Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct, to enable these roles to make a greater contribution to patient care. NHS England has worked with royal colleges and the GMC to develop appropriate curricula, core capability and career frameworks, standards for continued professional development, assessment and appraisal and supervision guidance for the AA and PA roles.

NHS England continues to work with partners, including the GMC and medical royal colleges, to ensure that AAs and PAs can be effectively trained and integrated into teams across a range of specialties through the ongoing development of national standards, a defined scope of practice, and assessment of educational capacity.