Britain’s largest GP body has voted to ban GPs from working in surgeries.
This follows months of concern from doctors about the NHS’s growing reliance on so-called ‘cut-price doctors’, which has been linked to three deaths.
These staff members do not go to medical school and instead undertake two years of postgraduate training in addition to earning a degree in a subject such as biomedical sciences.
The College, which represents more than 50,000 GPs, said nearly two-thirds of voters agreed to oppose PAs working in surgeries.
The NHS employs more than 3,500 PAs in England and plans to increase that number to 10,000 by 2036. Around 2,000 currently work in general practices across the country.
The College, which represents more than 50,000 members, said nearly two-thirds of voters agreed to oppose the internship position.
Emily Chesterton, pictured, was just 30 when she died in 2022 after a GP failed to spot a blood clot. The actress was seen twice by the same GP, who told her she had anxiety and long Covid. Her parents say at no point during the appointment did Emily realise the person she was seeing was not a GP.
Today’s RCGP decision to ban PAs comes just weeks after a survey by the university More than 80 percent were found to believe that the use of PA in general practices has a negative impact on patient safety.
The “disturbing” results also showed that half of respondents reported “being aware of specific examples of patient safety being compromised by the work of PAs,” including cases of misdiagnosis and inappropriate prescribing.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, President of the Royal College of Family Physicians, said today: “It was very clear in today’s Council debate that we should speak out against the role of PA in general medicine.
“I am pleased that our processes have allowed us to do this in a collegial and democratic manner.”
First introduced in 2003, the role of a PA currently allows them to take medical histories, perform physical examinations, analyze test results and make diagnoses.
But they must always work under supervision.
PAs are not permitted to prescribe medications or refer patients for procedures.
However, several high-profile cases of harm suffered by patients following consultation with attending physicians have recently made headlines, including three deaths.
In 2022, actress Emily Chesterton, 30, died of a blood clot after a personal assistant dismissed her symptoms as anxiety and gave her pills instead of referring her to A&E.
She mistakenly believed she had been seen by a GP at his north London practice, but that an associate had seen her twice.
The GP practice where Ms Chesterton was treated, Vale Practice in Crouch End, has since stopped employing medical assistants.
Their parents are now warning of the dangers patients could face amid plans to expand their roles.
Norman Jopling, 79, from north London, suffered a severe brain haemorrhage after a personal assistant mistakenly told him his severe headaches were nothing to worry about.
She died in November after suffering a cardiac arrest. A coroner concluded that her life could have been saved if she had been sent to A&E. The GP practice where Chesterton was treated, Vale Practice in Crouch End, has stopped employing GP assistants. Her parents are now warning of the dangers patients may face amid plans to expand the use of GP assistants.
Norman Jopling, 79, from north London, suffered a serious brain haemorrhage after a PA mistakenly told him his severe headaches were nothing to worry about. His wife Maureen, right, accused the NHS of “trying to cut corners” by allowing PAs to carry out “complicated tasks they are not qualified to do”.
His wife Maureen later accused the NHS of “trying to cut corners” by allowing PAs to carry out “complicated tasks for which they are not qualified”.
Last year there were also reports of PAs requesting prescriptions, discharging patients from the hospital without a doctor’s authorization and even participating in brain surgeries.
In February, Liberal Democrat Baroness Brinton told a House of Lords debate that doctors had reported “70 cases of avoidable harm to patients and near-fatal accidents caused by PAs”, including “deaths, missed diagnoses causing terminal illness, sepsis and heart attacks”.
Earlier this year, doctors’ union the British Medical Association (BMA) also called for PAs to be banned from diagnosing patients.
She noted that PAs should be seen as “an assistant role for physicians,” helping them with simple practical procedures, administrative tasks and working with patients in a supportive and specific role.
They should also never perform complex or life-threatening procedures or be included on doctors’ rosters.
