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, whether she is taking steps to increase public awareness of the (a) roles and (b) competencies of (i) anaesthesia and (ii) physician associates in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (PAs) are integral parts of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team. The Government greatly values the work of AAs and PAs and is introducing regulation as part of our commitment to the roles, and to their place in the multi-disciplinary workforce.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out significant expansion of the roles over the coming years, as part of plans to grow the multi-disciplinary workforce. The Government and NHS England are undertaking extensive engagement around this expansion to increase public and patient understanding of the roles and how they contribute to safe, effective patient care.
In primary care, NHS England has produced patient-facing materials that have been shared widely with general practices to support patient awareness and understanding of the PA role.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines set out that all healthcare professionals directly involved in a patient's care should introduce themselves and explain to the patient the roles and responsibilities of the different members of the healthcare team.
In advance of their regulation by the General Medical Council (GMC) later this year, the GMC has published interim standards for AAs and PAs which make it clear that professionals should always introduce their role to patients and set out their responsibilities in the team.
Jan. 25 2024
Source Page: NICE annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023Found: 4E02922338 01/24Printed on paper containing 40% recycled fibre content minimumPrinted in the UK by HH Associates
Jan. 25 2024
Source Page: NICE annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023Found: 4E02922338 01/24Printed on paper containing 40% recycled fibre content minimumPrinted in the UK by HH Associates
Jan. 25 2024
Source Page: NICE annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023Found: 4E02922338 01/24Printed on paper containing 40% recycled fibre content minimumPrinted in the UK by HH Associates
Jan. 25 2024
Source Page: NICE annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023Found: 4E02922338 01/24Printed on paper containing 40% recycled fibre content minimumPrinted in the UK by HH Associates
Report Jan. 25 2024
Committee: Secondary Legislation Scrutiny CommitteeFound: 10th Report - Drawn to the special attention of the House: Draft Anaesthesia Associates and Physician
Jan. 25 2024
Source Page: DHSC annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023Found: E02916210 01/24 Printed on paper containing 40% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by HH Associates
Jan. 25 2024
Source Page: DHSC annual report and accounts: 2022 to 2023Found: 01/24 Printed on paper containing 40% recycled fibre content minimum Printed in the UK by HH Associates
Report Jan. 24 2024
Committee: Health, Social Care and Sport CommitteeFound: The Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024 [draft] This report sets out the Health
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Welsh government on the regulation of (a) physician associates and (b) anaesthesia associates.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers have corresponded with their counterparts in the Welsh Government, alongside those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, in taking forward the work to bring physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) into regulation.
The regulation of PAs and AAs has been subject to extensive public consultation over several years. Throughout the project, officials have engaged thoroughly with stakeholders including the 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 our policy intention and the resultant legislation, to ensure that it remains a practical piece of legislation for the benefit of patient safety and registrants.