Crackdown on Midlevels in the NHS?
There has been an uproar across the pond as GP chiefs are calling for a crackdown on physician associates (PAs) in the NHS after a series of life-threatening misdiagnoses, Why? Isn’t this the plan. Yes, says the government.
But staff shortages and overwhelmed GP surgeries has meant PAs already in place are increasingly being called on to plug the gaps, taking on duties above their original remit and far beyond what they are qualified to do, including unsupervised appointments with patients, diagnosing ailments and making decisions on treatments.
It looks like the docs and their orgs over there are pushing back, though:
And the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned these staff are unregulated, meaning they cannot be held responsible for mistakes.
The Mail last week reported that hundreds of doctors had signed an open letter claiming that the use of PAs was leading to deaths and missed diagnoses.
‘PAs should be accountable to the GMC or a specific regulatory body if they are diagnosing or ‘doctoring,’ she says. ‘If we’re going to create a whole new genre of NHS clinicians, they need to be properly regulated, their scope defined and the lines of accountability must be very clear.’
Wow, does this sound familiar to anyone?
Experts claim that PAs are increasingly carrying out appointments with patients without the supervision of a GP and making decisions they are not qualified to take.
Why is this happening? Money. The NHS wants to save it and they are watching us over here and seeing the Trojan Horse that midlevels used to gain independence. Training and education DOES NOT MATTER to the bean counters and the militant midlevels trying to pretend they are doctors.
Oh…… I thought it was “physician assistant.” Guess I got it wrong.
When most people advocate for ‘single payer’ or ‘nationalized medicine’ or ‘free health care’ I believe it’s because they just have no clue how many things can and will go wrong in such a system.