BMA claims to have been ‘excluded’ from PA stakeholder discussions

The BMA has claimed to have been ‘excluded’ from stakeholder discussions on the future of physician associate (PA) roles.

The union’s junior doctors committee said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ to be excluded from a meeting of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to discuss medical associate professions (MAPs), which includes PAs.

The committee said that this was despite the inclusion of other ‘key’ stakeholders including NHS England and the GMC.

It added that the BMA will now seek to establish ‘its own forum’ for bringing together ‘key stakeholders’ to ensure doctors’ voices ‘are a central part of the conversation’.

In a statement, the committee said: ‘As the representatives of more than 70,000 junior doctors, it is vital we are included in discussions on the future of MAPs and their impact on doctors’ training so we can ensure their views are reflected – we wrote to the Academy last week requesting just that.

‘Should the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges reconsider our inclusion, we remain available and happy to attend.’

Pulse has contacted the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for comment.

Last month, the BMA released a PA ‘scope of practice’ which said they should never see undifferentiated patients in a GP setting. 

Last week, in the updated PCN DES contract, NHS England said GP supervisors need to be ‘satisfied’ there is appropriate governance when physician associates (PAs) see undifferentiated patients.

A representative body for PAs warned GP practices implementing the scope of practice of potential legal consequences.

Meanwhile, the GMC has launched a consultation seeking views on how it will regulate PAs from December this year.

The BMA also recently called for an independent inquiry into the use of PAs on medical rotas in place of doctors.