Doctors fear 2-tier GP plan
The Sunday Mirror|March 10, 2024
Rise in 'helpers' with fewer skills 'is risk to safety'
CECILIA APAMOU
Doctors fear 2-tier GP plan

DOCTORS have warned that plans to increase the use of physician associates in the NHS could lead to a two-tier healthcare system and put vulnerable lives at risk.

They fear patients' access to fully qualified GPs could be hampered by the changes - unless they go private.

Physician associates, or PAs, do not attend medical school, instead completing only a two-year postgraduate course.

They were intended to help doctors with everyday tasks, working under supervision.

But doctors told us PAs increasingly give medical advice and treatment.

This story is from the March 10, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.

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This story is from the March 10, 2024 edition of The Sunday Mirror.

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