Overview

• PAs will be prohibited from diagnosing patients who have not been triaged by a doctor to prevent initial misdiagnoses
• New physician associates must complete two years of hospital experience before working in GP practices or mental health trusts
• The titles will change to “physician assistant” and “physician assistant in anaesthesia” to distinguish them from doctors
• A named doctor will oversee each PA under newly established national clinical protocols and uniform identification measures
• The Leng review documented six deaths linked to PA contact and found no compelling evidence supporting their use as doctor substitutes