Asked by: Smyth, Colin (Scottish Labour - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the concerns of BMA Scotland regarding the proposal that the General Medical Council rather than the Health and Care Professions Council should regulate anaesthesia associates and physician associates.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care
The Scottish Government is aware of the BMA Scotland’s views that anaesthesia associates (AA) and physician associates (PA) should be regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) rather than the General Medical Council (GMC).
The Scottish Government is satisfied with the suitability of the GMC as the regulator. AAs and PAs are educated in curricula aligned to the medical model and work complementary to and under the supervision of doctors, a common regulator ensures consistent standards, providing doctors with better assurance when delegating clinical tasks. It also ensures a consistent approach across professional groups in relation to adverse events, particularly where fitness to practise concerns arise.
Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care published a UK-wide consultation in 2017 which clearly demonstrated a majority preference for the GMC as the regulator (59% in comparison to 20% for the HCPC).
With regard to the BMA Scotland’s concerns that GMC regulation will confuse patients as to a practitioner’s professional status, current guidance issued to Health Boards by the Scottish Government stipulates that patients should always be told when they are being treated by an AA or PA, rather than a doctor. Once regulated, the roles will also become subject to the principles in Good Medical Practice to always be open and honest about their role and ensure that they are working within the limits of their qualifications and experience.
Feb. 29 2024
Source Page: DHSC evidence for the DDRB: pay round 2024 to 2025Found: Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs).
Review the role and regulation of Physician Associates in NHS care
- Final Signatures: 2,698
We believe the Government should commission a review into the role and regulation of Physician Associates in NHS care. We think this review should consider changing the role title, and consider stronger regulation and supervision arrangements.
Found: This review should consider changes to regulation to ensure Physician Associates are properly regulated
Mentions:
1: Lord Markham (Con - Life peer) and physician associates into statutory regulation by the GMC.Following the legislative consultation - Speech Link
2: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green - Life peer) and Physician Associates Order 2024 because it represents a significant constitutional change in regulation - Speech Link
3: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (XB - Life peer) Yes, physician associates and anaesthesia associates must be regulated. - Speech Link
4: Lord Lansley (Con - Life peer) associates and anaesthesia associates within the scope of regulation. - Speech Link
5: Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con - Life peer) The Faculty of Physician Associates code of conduct, produced with the GMC, says that physician associates - Speech Link
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on patient safety of the regulation by the General Medical Council of (a) physician and (b) anaesthesia associates.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Regulation of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs) by the General Medical Council (GMC) will mean that individual AAs and PAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.
Regulation will provide set standards of practice, education, and training for AAs and PAs as well as requirements around continual professional development and conduct. The GMC set the standards required for entry to its register by approving the curricula and assessments for AA and PA courses. These standards will give assurance that AA and PA students have demonstrated the core knowledge, skills and professional and ethical behaviours necessary to work safely and competently in their areas of practice. Regulation will also help bring further clarity to patients and healthcare professionals on the nature of these roles and their remits.
Mentions:
1: Dan Poulter (Con - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) Physician associates and anaesthesia associates currently complete a two year postgraduate course and - Speech Link
2: Dan Poulter (Con - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) Physician associates and anaesthesia associates are not currently regulated. - Speech Link
3: Rachael Maskell (LAB - York Central) I sat on the Committee that considered the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024 - Speech Link
4: Dan Poulter (Con - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) There should be a national scope of practice for physician associates and anaesthesia associates, both - Speech Link
5: Dan Poulter (Con - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich) The same standard should apply to physician associates and anaesthesia associates. - Speech Link
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the title of Physician Associates to Physician Assistants.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Physician Associate (PA) title has been well established in the United Kingdom since 2014 and the role has been part of the National Health Service workforce for more than twenty years. The title reflects the fact that they are part of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, working together to deliver coordinated patient care.
It is the responsibility of professionals and their employers to ensure professional titles are used appropriately. As set out in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, all healthcare professionals should introduce themselves and explain their role to the patient regardless of their job title, with PAs being no different.
The General Medical Council has published interim standards for PAs in advance of regulation which make it clear that professionals should always introduce their role to patients and set out their responsibilities in the team.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the Welsh Government on the levels of public awareness of (a) the role and (b) competencies of physician associates in the NHS in Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
I have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a wide range of issues. As a devolved matter, it is for the Welsh Government to consider the operational deployment of the role of physician associates (PAs) within the NHS workforce in Wales.
The UK Government greatly values the work of physician associates (PAs) and is introducing regulation as part of our commitment to the roles and to their place in the multi-disciplinary workforce.
The regulation of PAs which is a reserved matter has been subject to extensive public consultation over several years. Throughout the project, UK Government officials have engaged thoroughly with stakeholders including regulators, the devolved administrations, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, representative bodies and service users in developing the policy behind this legislation. This engagement has been crucial in shaping both UK Government policy intention and the resultant legislation, to ensure that it remains a practical piece of legislation for the benefit of patient safety and registrants.
Regulation will give the GMC responsibility and oversight of PAs, allowing it to take a holistic approach to education, training, and standards. Once regulation commences, GMC guidance will apply to PAs.
Oral Evidence Jan. 29 2024
Inquiry: Future cancerFound: Is there collaborative work on regulation going on that we could learn from?
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take legislative steps to align (a) standards and (b) fitness to practice processes across all healthcare profession regulators.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 24 March and 16 June 2021, the Government consulted on proposals to reform the regulation of healthcare professionals, and on the introduction of anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (PAs) into statutory regulation by the General Medical Council (GMC). The consultation was entitled Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public, and proposed that all regulators should have broadly consistent powers in relation to standard setting and fitness to practise.
The Government’s response to the consultation was published in February 2023 and detailed our proposed reforms to the regulators’ standard setting powers. It also set out a new fitness to practise process for all regulators.
A modernised regulatory framework is being introduced firstly for AAs and PAs. The Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, laid on 13 December 2023, allows for the statutory regulation of AAs and PAs by the GMC under the new framework. The reformed regulatory framework will be rolled out to all regulated healthcare professionals, beginning with doctors, and the professions regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council, over the next couple of years.