Nearly one in four people don’t know the difference between a medical assistant and a doctor, a survey has found.
Although 52 percent of Britons can differentiate between the two roles, around 23 percent said they did not know the difference.
Healthwatch England, which commissioned the survey, has called for more clarity around the role of medical associates.
The NHS long-term workforce plans set out an ambition to establish a workforce of 10,000 doctor associates by 2036/37.
PAs are a relatively new profession having been introduced into the health service in 2003.
Nearly one in four people don’t know the difference between a medical assistant and a doctor, survey finds
Three in five adults said that during their last NHS appointment, the person providing care clearly explained their role, according to a survey of 1,677 people across England by Savanta (file photo)
There are around 4,000 GPs working in the NHS in England.
They have medical training and work alongside doctors and nurses, performing tasks similar to those of a doctor, but they do not have the same medical training that a doctor receives.
Physician assistant professions, also known as MAPs, have come under increased scrutiny following the death of 30-year-old Emily Chesterton in November 2022.
She had been under the impression she was seeing a GP, but was actually seen twice by a junior doctor, who on both occasions failed to detect that her leg pain and shortness of breath were due to a blood clot, which eventually travelled to her lungs.
Writing in Pulse magazine, Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said: ‘The need for clarity on the role of PAs was evident in local Healthwatch reports.
‘Some local Healthwatch organisations explained that while patients may have heard of PAs and understand that they are not doctors, people’s understanding of what they can and cannot do is more limited.
‘In many cases, patients needed to be informed about the local presence of PAs and often only found out about their role when they were given an appointment with a PA.
‘In some cases, patients had specifically requested to see a physician, but were instead assigned to see a physician assistant.
“When people knew they had received care from a personal assistant, their experiences tended to be positive. People especially valued that a personal assistant could provide care when they needed it.”
In an article published in Pulse magazine, Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, said it was important for patients to know who was treating them.
Three in five adults said that during their last NHS appointment, the person providing care clearly explained their role, according to a survey of 1,677 people across England by Savanta.
Ms Ansari added: “People think it’s important to know who is treating them, and NHS staff should identify themselves.”
An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘We recently published summary guidance for trusts to set out expectations on the deployment of allied health professionals to ensure clarity of responsibilities and expectations around safety, accountability and transparency.
‘We are working with Healthwatch and the Patients’ Association on producing materials for patients and the public to explain the roles of allied health professionals and will continue to work with organisations ahead of the GMC regulation coming into force at the end of the year.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Physicians’ associates have played an important role in the NHS for more than two decades, but we are clear that they should support, not replace, doctors and be given the appropriate level of oversight by healthcare organisations.”