Regulation of Physician Associates: Our response to General Medical Council’s consultation

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The NHS plans to triple the number of physician associates (PAs) it employs. The regulation of PAs is due to start at the end of 2024 and will be overseen by the General Medical Council (GMC). 

In May 2024, Healthwatch England,National Voices and The Patients Association, wrote to the GMC in response to their consultation on regulating Physician Associates. 

To: The Assistant Director, Regulation Policy, General Medical Council

Date: 17 May 2024

We are writing to you jointly, as national organisations representing patients and the public, to offer direct feedback on the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) consultation on ‘Regulating anaesthesia associates and physician associates’ and the wider issues of public confidence and awareness of these new roles. 

We are concerned that discussions on the deployment and regulation of physician associates have been too narrowly focused on the competing views of professional bodies and that they have overlooked the interests of the group which regulation ultimately aims to protect, patients themselves. 

As we have suggested in previous correspondence, we do not believe that in its current format the GMC’s consultation provides a suitable forum for voicing the views and concerns of patients or their representatives. The consultation document is lengthy, technically complex, and does not provide opportunities for open reflections on the future role of the GMC as a multi-professional regulator. 

We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the consultation process through alternative channels. We have prepared a briefing outlining the findings of recent Healthwatch England research, as well as what we have collectively heard from patients and patient representative bodies about the deployment of physician associates in the NHS.

In brief, we have found that:

• Insufficient attention has been paid to increasing patient and public awareness of new roles, including physician associates. 
• Patients are often unsure about the medical professional they are interacting with, and their role and responsibilities as part of a multi-disciplinary team and who is responsible for overseeing them. 
• Patient representative organisations have not been given sufficient opportunities to engage in forums related to the regulation and deployment of physician associates and other medical associate professional roles.

We would like you to accept this briefing as our formal contribution to the GMC’s consultation. We are also planning to CC other national stakeholders given that our recommendations on physician associates are aimed not just towards the GMC.

Specifically, we intend to share this letter and briefing with:

• The Faculty of Physician Associates 
• The Royal College of Physicians 
• The Council, British Medical Association 
• The Royal College of GPs 
• NHS England 

A version of the briefing will also be published on the Healthwatch England website, at some point after your consultation closes.

Finally, we would like to formally reiterate our offer to work with all organisations included in this correspondence to ensure that the voices of patients are at the centre of this important issue. 

Yours faithfully,

Louise Ansari, Chief Executive, Healthwatch England

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive, National Voices

Rachel Power, Chief Executive, The Patients Association