Physician Associates - Bereaved family vs GMC

[AnneCarmegie]

The family of a young patient who died after being misdiagnosed by a PA is taking the GMC to court
Please read , donate and share with your family and friends. This could happen to any of us .
anaesthetistsunited.com/our-daughter-died-in-error/

They really are selling themselves short. They'd be band 8A minimum doing advanced practice instead.

My cancer was missed by a nurse specialist and a paramedic specialist. Both very nice people- but following algorithms rather than using actual knowledge, and also the instinct that Drs develop with clinical experience

I'm sorry. My late husbands was, by an ANP, delay didn't affect outcome. I just don't think any of them have the training or experience in diagnostics that doctors do and that is with all respect to nurses and paramedics (if I was bleeding by the side of the road I'd probably prefer a paramedic to a GP to be fair)

The PA model is potentially much worse and they have no place in assessing undifferentiated patients.

It’s the lack of patient information For me. Patients are consenting for Anaesthesia unaware that the person putting them to sleep could be an Anaesthesia associate without an anaesthetist present . It’s madness !

This behaviour is completely unacceptable
x.com/kcisc/status/1914013735167140233?s=46

When you think about it… Drs work very hard for their post graduate exams. They’re very very difficult and represent a high level of knowledge

PAs don’t have that. They have an undergraduate qualification- so there is no way they equate to a Dr

Years ago I remember an absolute furore when it came out that a consultant surgeon had allowed a very experienced theatre nurse to do part of an appendectomy, under his supervision.

Yet here we are now.

I can imagine!

There are plenty of doctors looking for work but trusts want to pay fewer of them.

It's hard for GPs to find work at the moment - this at a time when we're told there's a massive shortage of doctors. I have heard, anecdotally, of practices who employ PAs to see a large percentage take of patients under the nominal (but not proper) supervision of one GP in the practice. S/he can't possibly be supervising by considering if the diagnosis and treatment was appropriate by means of a swift glance at the paperwork review for all the patients the PAs have seen. There are plenty of cases reported as well of PAs not informing the patients that they're not doctors. "Hi, I'm Brian, I'm your clinician", leaving the patient thinking they've seen a doctor. They should make it clear to the patients (most of whom have no idea what a PA is, what their training involved, what the limitations on their practice is, how their knowledge and experience compares to a doctor).

I'd rather see a nurse, because I understand what a nurse is much better than I understand what a PA is.

PAs get paid less than GPs (but considerably more that newly qualified Drs)

Go figure...

I agree @Emptyandsad . They call themselves “one of the medic team” in my practice. I’ve taken to asking their role.

At last the government has paid attention to publicand professional concerns about physician assistants.
See below Great Ormobd Street criticised for using PAs to replace doctors on the medical rota .
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/great-ormond-street-hospital-physician-associates-staffing-b2801148.html

Glad to see BMA took out full page ad in tbe metro stating the measly salary fir a newly qualified doctor cpmpated to that of a PA.

🤔

Yep . The Leng Review has confirmed all of our concerns . Their title must change to assistant , they must wear a uniform and must not diagnose any undifferentiated patients . They also can’t work in GP for the first 2 yrs following qualification.
Why the courses are still running at £23k per student I don’t know .