Last night the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024 (AAPAO 2024) successfully passed through the House of Lords.
Thank you
@LordPhilofBrum
for talking about the torrid time MAPs have been experiencing over the last few months:
Physician Associates and
@mmamas1973
So only Physician Associates make medical errors is it?... And we are going to define a profession by the actions of a small number of individuals?... This is not about Doctors Vs PAs so I'm not going to link examples of doctor errors. But come on, be mindful of what you post.
What a horrific incident. My thoughts and prayers with the teacher invovled.
Great work from all the healthcare professionals involved in attending to the teacher. Well done to the brave Physician Associate Gulzarin Iqbal PA-R. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 💪🏽 Great work!
Raising awareness of the Physician Associate role at the postgraduate careers event
@StGeorgesUni
. We had incredible, super-cool (hence the shades) PAs from various specialties to tell prospective students how awesome and rewarding it is to be a PA!🙌🏾
@gmc
@FPARCP
@RCPhysicians
It's been an uncomfortable, scary and worrying time for Physician Associates over the last few months.
But, let's not forget this immense achievement. After >20 years of campaigning for regulation we are finally getting it.
Thanks to all those that helped make this happen. 👏🏽
1/5 We’ve reflected on views shared with us about the GMC reference number given when individuals register with us. We can confirm that PAs & AAs will receive a 7-digit GMC reference number with an alphabetical prefix. We discuss this in our new blog:
"Considerable organised effort to harrass MAPs in the workplace."
"PAs have been smeared publically"
The mental health and morale of PAs has been significantly impacted.
Thank you
@UMAPsUK
@bbc5live
@TVNaga01
11:30 onwards
#PhysicianAssociate
A brilliant piece on Physician Associates highlighting our role within the NHS and how we work alongside other healthcare professionals to help care for patients safely, efficiently and effectively.👏🏽
Thank you
@EvanHD
@BBCRadio4
@RBNHSFT
35:40 onwards:
Tripti Chakraborty, Deputy Course Director of the Physician Associate Studies course at St George's, was recently featured on BBC Radio 4’s PM Programme explaining the role of Physician Associates 🎙️
Listen again (from 35:40) here:
Physician associates support the wider clinical team, reduce workload pressure and enhance patient experience.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how to build the right staffing and skills mix for the future, including expanding roles like these.
Thank you Lord Bethell
@JimBethell
"If these regulations don’t go through, then it will be difficult to enforce standards, years of delay to regulate the professions, a reduction in the number of healthcare professionals to support our healthcare system, training programs which
Have you ever wanted to know more about the different roles involved in the day-to-day running of your local GP practice?
Daniel Garcia, who works at a GP practice in Sheffield, tells us what his role as a physician associate means as part of his team.
@oliviakirkham
Twitter is NOT real life. The views shared are NOT that of the majority. It has become a hell site that intentionally promotes inflammatory nonsense and harvests outrage. To get good feedback and a hug shows how great of a Physician Associate you are. Keep rocking! Happy PA week!
'This sort of rhetoric that we're sitting in the background pretending to be doctors is disingenuous.'
UMAPS' Stephen Nash tells
@IainDale
that the release of documents that 'greenlight the bullying of physician associates' creates an 'incredibly toxic environment'.
as an aside, working yesterday in AMU a couple of juniors told me (without my even raising the subject) that they felt the online stuff re PAs had gone too far (despite legit concerns) & they really didn't like it & it unsettled PAs they worked with
I haven't heard that before
'Stop scapegoating hard-working colleagues – whether PAs, ANPs, paramedics, social prescribers, GP assistants or reception staff. They are essential in a future for our
#NHS
where all contribute their talents,' says Dr Shaun Meehan
1/3 Late next year we’ll be welcoming physician associates and anaesthesia associates into regulation. Regulation will help to increase the contribution they can make to UK healthcare, while keeping patients safe.
Imagine being a Physician Associate in the UK right now just trying to get on with your job and reading torrents of abuse about your profession on social media.
We are still learning the place of PAs in the UK health system but please - enough of the scapegoating
When AA/PAs say they feel shamed and bullied by a campaign of intimidation, this distasteful thread is the sort of thing they mean. 👇
Anyone could do something similar for any profession. But I hope they do not because life depends on collaboration and teamwork so we should act
@cannula_service
Physician Associates have been dragged through dirt over the last few months, PA students are worried about their future, the identities and confidence of qualified PAs have been rocked, there are people questioning their existence within the NHS... and you want a glowing emai!?
@OReillyGem
I saw a PA this morning. She was fantastic. So thorough and found a lost mri result. Couldn't be happier. She needed a gp to sign prescriptions and any controlled drug, like I'm prescribed has to be approved by a gp and she did everything perfectly.
1/5 We’ve reflected on views shared with us about the GMC reference number given when individuals register with us. We can confirm that PAs & AAs will receive a 7-digit GMC reference number with an alphabetical prefix. We discuss this in our new blog:
There are ongoing conversations around the future regulation of PAs & AAs. We recognise there are strong feelings about some issues. In this thread we address some of the key points we’ve heard. (1/8)
We welcome today’s publication of
@DHSCgovuk
’s consultation response on the regulation of anaesthesia associates and physician associates. It paves the way for new legislation to be laid in parliament on Wednesday. This is a significant milestone towards bringing these
I have avoided the PA debate in here up to now, precisely because it is toxic, just as this thread demonstrates.
However some of the comments here are personal, unpleasant and ignorant.
Feels like I have no choice but to wade in:
@veggieequallife
So only Physician Associates make medical errors is it?... And we are going to define a profession by the actions of a small number of individuals?... This is not about Doctors Vs PAs so I'm not going to link examples of doctor errors. But come on, be mindful of what you post.
@cannula_service
Every single Physician Associate in this country will agree that Junior Doctors need to be paid significantly more and working conditions need to be improved significantly. Fact. We need regulation. Fact. Physician Associates can NOT work without Doctors. Fact.
@veggieequallife
Medicine is defined as the science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease (in technical use often taken to exclude surgery). You're acting like she said a bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS)... Plus, the training does not stop after 2 yrs.
I've just reported on my story about physician associates live on BBC News.
I’ll be delivering lives on radio and TV about the roles physician associates play in the NHS and new regulation coming this year, with calls for more clarity for patients.
Listen and watch throughout
"Although we do need a mature debate about these matters, interprofessional solidarity and multidisciplinary team working are being harmed by the degree of vitriol and resentment in some of the attacks."
#PhysicianAssociates
@RCPhysicians
@FPARCP
@gmcuk
I entered the debate on physician associates and anaesthetist associates in good faith after a PA wrote to me saying that the profession felt denigrated, shamed and bullied by a campaign of intimidation. I now know what they mean.
@UKGastroDr
@FPARCP
Physician Associate*
To quote: "...when a PA introduces themselves to a patient or staff member, they must make it
clear at the start of the interaction that they are a physician associate, as well as explain the use of
the term ‘PA’ as a recognised abbreviation of the title."
@Anastasia_gpPA
@ZoeCostigan
Twitter/X is not real life. The views shared are not that of the majority... Anytime I read the nonsense I remind myself how rewarding my job as a Physician Associate is. I cannot wait to see patients this week and teach the next batch of Physician Associates!
I am looking forward to sharing all of the amazing positive stories I have about our PAs here at
@sashnhs
at the
@RCPhysicians
EGM this week. I know many of you are feeling low, but please remember how awesome you are and such a valued part of our
#oneteam
.
#Medicineisbrilliant
🧵It’s vital that patients know who is caring for them.
As we prepare to bring physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) into regulation, we’ve been developing our plans to make it easy for anyone using our public facing registers to tell if a registrant is a
We welcome this letter from
@NHSEngland
, making clear its position on PAs.
"PAs are not a substitute for doctors; they are trained to work collaboratively with other health professionals as supplementary members of a multidisciplinary team." 1/3
It's
#PhysicianAssociateWeek
!
It is a chance to raise awareness of the Physician Associate (PA) profession and its contributions to the nation’s health.
Last week, our PA Faculty met with PA staff from
@StGeorgesTrust
to recognise their dedication to the profession.
I’ve worked hard not to be drawn into the PA debate on Twitter, as it’s impossible to have nuanced reflection in limited space.
However, as we come to end of the year, I reflect that without the PAs in our dept, service would have collapsed at times.
Valued & valuable.
@KhyjaMccalla
I soon realised flight refunds for cancellations secondary to unprecedented incidents outside of my control, in the form of an easyJet voucher, were the least of our problems.
Ooo. That’s a very selective quote. Listen to the whole thing. “When they’re complex they should be escalated”. That’s the very next line. And isn’t that the point? I regret this debate in the Lords because it denigrates the contribution of AAs and PAs, instead of celebrating
I entered the debate on physician associates and anaesthetist associates in good faith after a PA wrote to me saying that the profession felt denigrated, shamed and bullied by a campaign of intimidation. I now know what they mean.
@BMA_James_Steen
@Bonivorlewis
Yes. Use your voice to fix that. Not to disrespect PAs. Not to argue PAs should be paid less. Not to undermine the hard work PAs do. Not to question whether we need to exist. Not to agree with a group of individuals who use terms like "abolishing" with regards to PAs.
#bekind
@mmamas1973
@TheBMA
"Trainees who have completed the programme have found it a rewarding way to develop their skills and advance their career in a practical patient focused role. They are taking on new roles such as clinical research, leading clinics and designing pre-assessment services alongside..
@PaulaMc007
@jim_crawfurd
1/
There are only around 3500 Physician Associates in the country.
The majority of the public are not aware of the role and work is being done to promote and raise awareness of the Physician Associate role.