Dr Kennedy BMA (Anti-Scotland) on Herald frontpage to hide this fact – ‘Controversial’ physician associates more than twice as common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA,

The role of physician associates [PA] is at the centre of controversy after the BMA sued the GMC over how they are to be described.

Today, the BMA in Scotland, ‘top’ (not at all) doctor, Iain Kennedy, is on the front page of the Herald, to attack SNP ministers over the use of physician associates (PA)s in Scotland.

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.

6 thoughts on “Dr Kennedy BMA (Anti-Scotland) on Herald frontpage to hide this fact – ‘Controversial’ physician associates more than twice as common in NHS England than in NHS Scotland”

  1. The Scottish Gov has increased the number of training places for medics which may explain the low number of PAs in Scotland vs England where the number of training places for doctors esp GPs has been cut. This has resulted in doctors completing their Foundation years but not finding a training post in their chosen specialism. Many young doctors in England are unemployed as a result of this. Link from Nov 2023.

    https://www.gov.scot/news/expanding-scotlands-medical-workforce-2/

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  2. I think it is fairly obvious that this guy from the BMA is one whose (too many) always negative SNP related contributions to the media, mainly the BBC here in Scotland, is hugely tainted by his obvious dislike of the SNP as the Scottish government….(or perhaps his support for another political party in opposition to the SNP).

    That constant negative attitude and opinion against the SNP should , in a fair and non partisan media world, normally exclude him as someone the media would always seek an opinion from…..however we all know that in Scotland that negative attitude and opinion against the SNP then makes him a perfect candidate for the media here to always seek an opinion from…..as their combined mission, as a media , is always to seek out stories and experiences (via anyone) that then is only always willing to promote their negative versions of #SNPBAD.

    So he, Kennedy, like certain others has now become a firm favourite with the media here…..especially the BBC in Scotland….

    #SpeedDial

    Of course as the media promote different versions of #SNPBAD they also never ever choose to make any comparison with similar services/experiences of people elsewhere within the UK or indeed provide any context or mitigating circumstances that have impacted a public service in Scotland… (or indeed highlight the hugely negative impact that Brexit has had upon our Scottish NHS and also upon our economy in Scotland).

    So really the media process is one where all of those interviewed, be they ordinary people or professionals, then they will all be guaranteed to get front page headlines in most of the newspapers in Scotland if they communicate #SNPBAD…….and they will all also get prime slots via reports on TV News programmes both within and outwith Scotland…. if their story is classified by them, as TV News, as also being …. #SNPBAD.

    However….there is an unspoken but obvious rule that the media here adhere to….or so it seems….and that is an obvious lack (minority) of those same above mentioned different types of individuals (ordinary or professional) , who may wish to relate that they have many many #SNPGOOD stories and experiences to communicate to the media….but the media does not want to highlight, promote , listen to, film , broadcast or indeed print any of these #SNPGOOD types of stories/reports…..for what is an obvious partisan and biased reason………..which is of course their combined mission of only promoting #SNPBAD.

    (The obvious alternate inference being by that same media is that other political parties are #Better for Scotland than the SNP….as all roads via the media’s perspective leads to the main constitutional question as in Scottish independence or their media preference….which is the UK State).

    Liz S

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  3. In Scotland we have to face a difficult choice between acknowledging that, in some departments of our NHS, for instance, access to GPs in some areas including my own, problems do exist – BUT at the same time try to navigate the negativity that is permeated by the opposition parties and Scottish unionists.

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    2. Yes indeed you are right , we do have to acknowledge that as far as “access to GPs in some area’s” “problems do exist ” within Scotland (and elsewhere in the UK) but then we, as a nation , are not exactly self sufficient as an independent nation that then , as such , has a government that controls all powers , all money and so makes all of the decisions that then impacts our Scottish NHS either positively or negatively…to include those NHS services provided by GP’s throughout Scotland….

      Also as you note there is the considerable problem of our nation and our Scottish government having to “navigate the negativity that is permeated by the opposition parties and Scottish unionists” and of course also “permeated” by their UK media too….where all of them promote that Scotland’s NHS and also all of our other public services are apparently all failing and so are all being destroyed by the SNP….thus those politicians, British Nationalists in Scotland…. and also their UK media too….are all then wilfully ignoring the situation within Wales, NI and of course England re their respective various public services, including the NHS.

      (Of Course England’s NHS is controlled by UK governments….and any of the UK government’s (bad) decisions on the NHS re funding etc can then have a seriously negative impact upon the NHS in other nations that are controlled by Devolved governments…..though apparently Scotland is to be seen as the exception to this particular rule…..as we are expected to believe that it is only Wales (as run by Labour) that is negatively impacted when there is a Tory UK government making bad decisions on the NHS funding etc………… (or indeed negatively impacting the NHS in NI…. but only if the government is run by the DUP….as they (British Nationalists) would never make any excuses for a NI devolved government run by Sinn Fein)…..

      So no one is oblivious to problems within the NHS in Scotland , including GP services in some areas, but then we have just gone through a Pandemic and it’s consequences are still relevant in it’s significant impact upon our NHS services in Scotland…and we are also still a part of their UK….and so supposdley meant to be far Better Together with them…then of course we had Brexit….where we lost NHS staff and Care staff….who originally came from other countries in the world and then went back to their own countries post Brexit….#HostileEnvironment as in xenophobia was rife and too visa (working and living) rules and conditions were changed ..but that is also not to be emphasised as being impactful upon our Scottish NHS services…….

      Best and easier for them to just voice #SNPBAD….as a politically motivated (lazy) soundbite.

      It would be nice to see what we, Scotland, could do with a healthcare service as an independent nation….minus all of the damaging interference and the too many bad decisions via external forces……… like a dominant and bullying UK government who sits in a parliament in another country………and makes a mess of their whole UK as a government…….

      Liz S

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