A Government-commissioned safety review of physician associates (PAs) which intends to provide ‘certainty’ for GPs is expected to report at the end of June.
The review’s chair Professor Gillian Leng met with the RCGP and other ‘key stakeholders’ yesterday to discuss her ‘evidence-gathering process’ which was designed to provide ‘as comprehensive a position as possible’.
During an engagement webinar in April, Professor Leng indicated that she would make her recommendations on the future of PAs and anaesthesia associates (AAs) at the beginning of June.
She also emphasised the importance of the review concluding in time to feed into a wider refresh of the NHS long-term workforce plan, which is planned to happen over the summer.
But the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed to Pulse today that the provisional target publication date for the Leng PA review is now the end of June.
As well as examining the safety of PAs, the review will also look at how effectively the role is deployed in the NHS and will offer ‘recommendations on how new roles should work in the future’, according to DHSC.
Throughout the review, GPs have been asked to provide both practice-level analysis or data on physician associates as well their own views and experiences of working with the role.
Yesterday, Professor Leng’s stakeholder meeting regarding this evidence-gathering process included the GMC and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, as well as the RCGP.
She said: ‘At a meeting with key stakeholders I discussed initial evidence that will inform our review into physician and anaesthesia associates.
‘Throughout this process I have gathered as much information as possible from a range of sources in order to set out as comprehensive position as possible in the Review.’
Professor Leng recognised that the review, which was launched last November, has taken place ‘amid a backdrop of understandable concerns and uncertainty for the affected staff groups’ and ‘confusion over transparency for patients’.
‘The final report aims to provide certainty and clarity for staff and patients across the NHS and to provide assurance for the future,’ she added.
The RCGP told Pulse that it has made its position on physician associates – that they have no role in general practice – clear to the Leng review in both meetings and written submissions.
College chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said: ‘The College has attended meetings as part of the Leng Review and has written to the review twice making clear our position.
‘The College’s position, as set by our governing Council, following consultation with members during which significant patient safety concerns were raised, is that Physician Associates do not have a role in a general practice setting.
‘We will continue to engage with the review to ensure the voice of GPs is heard, and will consider the review’s report once published.’
Last month, Pulse looked at what GPs can expect from the review, revealing that one of the possible questions it may address is whether PA recruitment should be discontinued completely.
Professor Leng, who is a former chief executive of NICE, will give an exclusive interview at the Pulse LIVE conference in Birmingham next month.
Taking on clinical risk for something someone else has done is plainly unfair. No thanks.