The NHS should stop recruiting junior doctors on pediatric wards due to safety concerns, children’s doctors say.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called for an immediate “pause” until there are clearer guidelines on how to implement them.
It follows a “comprehensive consultation” with its members on their views and experiences of physician associates (PAs), who receive less rigorous training than physicians.
More than 2,000 paediatricians in the UK responded to a survey, with 80 per cent of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that “PA recruitment should stop while the NHS develops structures for appropriate deployment of PAs” .
Some 94 per cent said the NHS should centrally define a training framework and scope of practice for personal assistants in their specialist areas of work.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has called for an immediate “pause” until there are clearer guidelines on how to implement them.
The move comes after the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association also formally opposed its use.
Personal assistants only have to complete a two-year postgraduate course, rather than a medical degree.
The move comes after the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association also formally opposed its use.
Personal assistants only have to complete a two-year postgraduate course, rather than a medical degree.
Some courses allow students to join after studying geography, human resources or English literature.
Their role is to “support doctors in the diagnosis and treatment of patients” and can be implemented in GP surgeries and hospitals.
The NHS has revealed plans to expand this role as a way to cope with growing demand for care.
However, they have come under scrutiny in recent years following the 2002 death of Emily Chesterton, who suffered a pulmonary embolism at the age of 30 after being misdiagnosed by a personal assistant on two occasions.
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool has sparked controversy for the way it implemented PAs and has since stopped using them in its protective equipment.
He admitted earlier this year that the Crown Prosecution Service and police did not feel able to rely on examination reports produced by a PA in cases of physical abuse and neglect.
The role of PAs is to “support doctors in the diagnosis and treatment of patients” and can be implemented in GP surgeries and hospitals.
The NHS has revealed plans to expand this role as a way to cope with growing demand for care.
The RCPCH said: ‘Having a trained and well-supported multidisciplinary team (MDT) is beneficial for children and young people and supports the strength of the pediatric workforce.
‘It is important to be clear about the different roles within the MDT: for team members, for patients and for the personal assistants themselves.
‘Clinical directors and service leaders should ensure that they and their pediatric teams are aware of the supervision arrangements for APs in their teams.
‘Furthermore, all healthcare professionals should have a clear training pathway that meets a nationally led and understood scope of practice for that role, which is supported by professional regulation.
‘While there may be local training structures for some PAs currently working in paediatrics, there are no central structures.
‘RCPCH recognizes that PAs can provide important contributions to multidisciplinary teams.
“However, as this work is carried out, we want to once again remind local systems that PAs should not replace the role of pediatricians in providing care to children and youth.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Physician associates play an important role in the NHS, as they have for more than two decades, but we are clear that they should support, not replace, doctors and should receive the appropriate level of supervision.” by health organizations.
“The NHS has issued clear guidance on the deployment of junior doctors, which we hope Trusts will follow.”
