The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has responded to the publication of Professor Gillian Leng’s independent review into the roles of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs), welcoming a focus on national consistency and clarity of role.
Dr Hilary Williams, incoming RCP clinical vice president and chair of the RCP PA oversight group said:
‘This is a thoughtful, detailed and thorough review of a very complex issue, and we want to thank Professor Leng and her team for their hard work and balanced approach. This report is very clear that reform is urgently needed to ensure safe multiprofessional teamworking in the NHS, and we welcome a strong focus on national consistency, patient safety, collaboration, and clarity of role and scope.
‘Professor Leng’s observation that postgraduate medical training in the UK is “fundamentally unsatisfactory” with “residents often feeling isolated and unsupported” is spot on. Our next generation campaign was set up in response to the debate around the future of medical training and we strongly welcome and endorse her statement that doctors must be trained as “leaders of the future” – that is, senior decision-makers who are trained and supported to provide whole-person holistic care throughout the patient journey.
‘High quality patient care must be our priority and we’re very pleased to see that the final report echoes many of the recommendations made by the RCP and our Resident Doctor Committee in our response to the Leng review, especially proposals to:
- change the name of the role to physician assistant (PA) to reduce patient confusion
- introduce national job descriptions and clinical protocols to improve consistency of scope
- support and resource senior doctors to supervise PAs and lead multiprofessional teams in a safe and effective way
- ensure that PAs cannot see undifferentiated patients and are accountable to a named, senior doctor.
‘We will now consider the Leng report in full and will work in partnership with our fellows and members, especially our resident doctors, to ensure that any changes are implemented in a way that supports patient safety and the medical workforce. Now is the time for clear timelines, funding and engagement with doctors and patients on the implementation of these important recommendations.
‘We are mindful that PAs already in role must be supported during this transition period, and we look forward to working closely with governments, the GMC, the NHS, royal colleges and other stakeholders on the next steps.’