Support Talking-up Scotland's work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS

The role of physician associates [PA] is at the centre of controversy this week as the BMA sues the GMC over how they are to be described.

What are PAs?

Physician associates (PAs) are medically trained [but not full MD training], generalist healthcare professionals who work with doctors in multidisciplinary teams to provide medical care. PAs are dependent practitioners working with a dedicated supervisor but can also work independently on specific tasks.¹

Scotland’s media seem disinterested, in the absence of any specifically Scottish commentary by the BMA Scotland’s Dr Iain Findlay, designed to blame the Scottish Government for any perceived short-comings along the lines of those suggested in the above headlines.

Perhaps this is why:

There are thought to be around 150 PAs currently working across NHS Scotland, compared to more than 3,000 in NHS England.²

So, quickly, PAs are more than twice as common, per head of population, in NHS England than in NHS Scotland.

Also:

Holyrood’s health committee has backed legislation that will see the General Medical Council take on the regulation of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs). Members of the committee voted eight to two in favour of the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024 which proposes PAs, AAs and doctors all be regulated by the same body.²

The above committee has cross-party membership, with members of all parties voting for the legislation. That of course may not stop the one ‘practising‘ GP there, Sandesh Gulhane, from trying to exploit the decision on behalf of the Con Party in the run up to the Holyrood election in May 2026 – watch out for him.

Sources:

1. https://www.careers.nhs.scot/explore-careers/medical-associate-professions/physician-associate/#:~:text=Physician%20associates%20%28PAs%29%20are%20medically%20trained%2C%20generalist%20healthcare,but%20can%20also%20work%20independently%20on%20specific%20tasks.
2. https://healthandcare.scot/stories/3700/physician-associates-scotland-nhs-gmc#:~:text=There%20are%20thought%20to%20be%20around%20150%20PAs,compared%20to%20more%20than%203%2C000%20in%20NHS%20England.