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Susan Pollitt died in July 2023 after a drain was mistakenly left in her abdomen for 21 hours. Susan’s husband, Roy Pollitt, has now criticised the increased use of physician associates (PAs) in the National Health Services (NHS). During the inquest into Susan’s death at Royal Oldham Hospital, it was found that the absence of a national framework regarding the PAs’ training, supervision and competency assessment contributed to her “unnecessary medical procedure”. Roy Pollitt did not know his 77-year-old wife was being treated by a PA, whilst suggesting that Susan would have lived if the NHS had not opted for cheaper labour.
The NHS introduced PAs around 21 years ago with the expectation that these associates would support doctors in delivering basic care. Over the past couple of years, however, the number of associates has doubled to 3,000. According to the NHS Long Term Plan, there will be approximately 12,000 physician and anaesthetic associates by 2036. However, some have raised concerns that PAs have started to act beyond their original remit, with fears that several PAs have exceeded their role in several NHS trusts, including by covering doctor’s shifts, prescribing medication, and even ordering X-rays without supervision.
Dr Richard Marks, a consultant anaesthetist and founder of Anaesthetists United, believes that patients are being put at risk due to PAs’ lack of proper supervision and safety measures. The General Medical Council (GMC) has filed a legal claim against the GMC for not defining associates’ roles and responsibilities correctly. Next month, associates will join doctors in being regulated by the GMC. However, some within the medical profession still remain concerned about the lack of a national scope of practice with clear limits and standards, which could still put patients at risk.
The Pollitts made a point of not blaming the PA that cared for Susan for what happened, saying that he showed Susan and them “any empathy” and remained the “only one” to do so. Instead, they hope that such cases will lead to the introduction of better supervision measures to reduce the chances of such an occurrence happening again. NHS England has said it will provide “updated guidance on the appropriate deployment of medical associates
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