Physician’s associate introduced as Dr at GP surgery

[Elenor444]

The man I saw introduced himself as “Dr fhdjdj” so I assumed that I’d seen a GP.
Then only after the appointment I found out that my prescription was awaiting approval from a GP and that i’d actually not even seen a GP

should I write and complain?
anyone else been misled?

I once was seen by a nurse practitioner for severe stomach pain. I pointed to where the pain was, which was basically, my stomach! The NP arranged for me to be admitted to hospital for an ultrasound scan and other tests and told me to get myself to A&E where they'd triage me and arrange the admittance (apparently the only way to get admitted!). So I went along, went through triage, the NP notes were on their screen, so they knew what it was about and then directed me to the ward for admittance. It was the gynae ward! But I assumed they knew what they were doing, so presented myself and waited to be examined by the gynae consultant/registrar, who duly came along, went through a long medical questionnaire, etc., and finally when it came to examining me, I pointed to exactly the same place on my stomach, and the guy just laughed and told me it was stomach not gynae, and basically told me to go away as it was nothing to do with him! So apparently, the NP didn't even know the difference in location between the stomach and the "woman's bits", so directed me to completely the wrong department!

No I wouldn’t and nor would I be successful at a job interview which involved seeing unfiltered patients at a GP surgery.

there are two issues here - one is that the person OP saw appears to have failed to properly inform the OP of their role and thus gain consent to proceed which is 100% wrong.

The other is people saying nurse practitioners are “not adequately trained” and giving out wrong advice.

At the end of the day, the nurse practitioner has applied for the role, has the necessary experience and qualifications for the role, has been successfully at interview and completed any mandatory training for the role. So to be upset only because they are not a doctor is unreasonable.

I hope you support the junior doctor and consultant strikes? because they are the only way to stem the flow of doctors out of the UK and mean that there might be more GPs in the future...........

Hang on, I thought that Blair's new GP contract 20 years ago, basically more pay for fewer hours/responsibilities was supposed to "cure the shortage of GPs". Well that's what he claimed anyway!

PAs at present cannot be NMP to my knowledge.
Complain and keep complaining. I’d rather see a nurse practitioner who you know will have worked for some time and completed a masters etc rather than a PA who have done a 2 year course and are let loose seeing patients instead of a GP. It’s terrible.

I mean, I nurses who can and do use the title, to which they are entitled, professionally. Who would degree it was "not allowed"? There's no such policy in my Trust (nor, I suspect, in any others).

All of them would also be clear about their role though. But that is something everyone in the NHS should be doing.

The days of seeing a doctor just because you want to are over.

The days of seeing a half competent GP in the surgery I go to are gone as well.

So you are complaining about the nurse practitioner who did an assessment of your severe pain and directed you to A&E for further assessment and possible admission but quite happy with the guy who laughed at you and told you to go away?! I know who I think did a better job here.
FYI - the nurse practitioner cannot arrange direct admission - they can only direct you to the hospital and provide information to the receiving hospital. They might relay information like “suspected ovarian cyst” or whatever but it is up to the receiving hospital to arrange the admission.

And there are an infinite number of cases where doctors have got things wrong - it’s not only NPs or any other health professional for that matter.

I agree. I spent a year trying to get my GP to take me seriously, he kept telling me I was depressed. Saw the nurse practitioner she immediately said she thought she knew what it was and would take blood test to confirm. She was right. I was sorry when she moved on.

Sorry this is wishful thinking. Locums very often can't prescribe in new surgeries. They are professionally allowed to prescribe of course, but until they are set up on the system they physically can't. In the surgery DH currently works this annoyingly takes about a month. No one knows why.

Yes but being pregnant isn't a disease, being ill is and the type of people qualified to treat illness are doctors, not YTS trainees.

It might or might not have sorted the problem at the time. Seemed a bit like Bevan's fill their mouths with gold solution in the forties.

Twenty years on and the pay's been eroded again.

I was only told afterwards that I’d need to wait for a bit for my prescription to be looked at because I’d seen a physician associate

But the man I saw definitely introduced themselves as ‘Dr’ so I thought I’d seen a GP.

I feel I was lied to so not sure I trust the opinion of whoever I saw

I'm very happy to see nurse practitioner as they have years of experience and often more thorough than GP.
However I was also misled and misdiagnosed by a PA and will not see one again.
It's a relatively new thing. They have a basic degree (often bio medical science which is a popular degree for those who are not accepted at medical school). Then a two year Physician Associate course. They cannot prescribe. Even more worrying are the PA staff being employed by hospitals instead of qualified anaesthetists.

Physicians associates and nurses are not the same.
An advanced nurse practitioner within a GP practice will almost always be qualified to prescribe, but physicians associates will not.
Either way, neither should be introducing themselves as Dr!

Followed by 20 years of real terms funding cuts.......

It’s the misleading that was unacceptable, not that a patient might be seen by a nurse practitioner or physiologist or whatever.

There are obviously some things that these professionals are qualified to do, having a problem with it is a bit unreasonable.

just because they are not a gp doesn't mean they aren't entitled to use the title Dr. They probably have a phd

Was it definitely a physician associate?

Many GP practices have doctors who are in the foundation stage of their training. They have an MBBS therefore have the title Dr. They are not yet fully registered so their prescriptions need to be signed off by someone who is. I have been treated by couple of different ones and have been happy with the care I have received.

I found it very misleading and don’t think it’s right. They’ve lost all my trust

@2023forme

I am in exactly the same situation.
I never introduce myself to patients as Dr Slopsan

That's extremely unusual - any locum with an NHS smart card should be able to prescribe instantly. Does your DH's surgery not have a competent practice manager?

Not in a professional medical appointment that is deception and not getting informed consent from the person.

The HCP may be able to deal with the person's medical needs but has not been truthful and in the OP'a case will have undermined her confidence in the pratice as a whole.

YANBU, please complain.

There have been a few threads about this and as someone with zero medical training I find it quite worrying. A nurse practitioner may well have a doctorate, but I'm sure they're introducing themselves as nurse practitioners, and the presence of the word "nurse" makes it clear to the patient. My understanding is also that they have far far more training than a PA.

You should never be left in any doubt about who you have seen.

That isn't acceptable. I have had similar issues with having to see the "nurse"; only it turns out, she wasn't a nurse, she was a healthcare support worker. As I thought she was a nurse (she introduced herself as one and the receptionist said she had booked me in with the nurse) I asked her a couple of questions regarding my potential condition and she gave me medical advice. Advice which she wasn't qualified to give and advice which wasn't entirely accurate.

I'm a nurse myself although mental health qualified, so it wasn't my area of expertise. But how she was relaying information to me and acting got my suspicions up so I did a little digging. I brought it up with the surgery (I didn't complain however I did advise them that I didn't think it was appropriate that an unregistered member of staff was masquerading as a fully qualified nurse and giving out medical advice that she isn't qualified to) and I did hear back from them. However they simply stated that she was qualified to do what she was doing that day. Yes, taking my blood and advising me on what would happen if the results flagged up an issue, but not qualified to give me the advice that she did give me!

As patients, we are entitled to know who we are being treated/being given advice by. If we aren't treated honestly and respectfully then we need to flag it up.