Regulation of PAs will benefit patients and support general practice, GMC Chair tells Liverpool audience

The Chair of the General Medical Council (GMC) today (Tuesday) told an audience that regulation of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) will benefit patients and support GPs whose service is ‘creaking under the weight of an unsustainable demand for care’.

Speaking at today’s (Tuesday 12 November) Pulse Live conference in Liverpool, attended by GPs from across the UK, Professor Dame Carrie MacEwen said that fresh thinking is needed to address the issues facing general practice.

She said:

‘GPs are working hard to insulate patients from the ill effects of a strained system. But it’s painfully clear, to public and profession alike, that general practice is not on a sustainable footing.

‘Something, or perhaps many things, have to change. More of the same just means more of the same – overburdened doctors who can’t give their patients the care they need and deserve. We have to confront this challenge. Doing so requires fresh thinking.’

She said that the regulation of PAs and AAs will benefit patient care.

‘It will reassure the public that those treating them are appropriately qualified and will be held accountable for their actions. And it will help support the development of these professions, which already play a crucial role in meeting modern health needs.

‘PAs and AAs are not doctors and they cannot replace them. What they can do, though, is complement doctors’ skills by working alongside them, freeing up doctors to do what only they can do.’

Dame Carrie said that the current discourse around PAs and AAs has at times crossed a line from civility into toxicity, and that she was ‘disturbed’ to learn, from a recent survey, that nearly two-thirds of PA and AA students had faced negative comments during placements, often from doctors.

‘Scrutiny and challenge, done in good faith, play a vital role. But when that scrutiny descends into destructive discourse and social media scapegoating, the line between civility and toxicity has been crossed.

‘Reports of name-calling and belittling behaviour are unacceptable from anybody working in healthcare. The denigration of others cannot be permitted under the guise of ‘patient safety’. Compassion and courtesy are the duty of all doctors, as they are of all members of the multidisciplinary team. Because safe care is dependent on supportive, open and respectful working environments.’

The GMC will begin regulating PAs and AAs from 13 December this year.

Read the full text of Dame Carrie’s speech: Regulation and the changing workforce: what demographic trends mean for the future of general practice