A toxic staffing row is splitting the NHS

Julia’s first four years as a physician associate were everything she hoped they would be. After working in the NHS for the best part of a decade in a non-patient facing role, she was delighted to be on the wards supporting doctors and the wider healthcare teams.

“I loved the contact I had with patients, assessing them and playing a part in their care. I felt supported and part of a team.”

That all changed about a year ago.

“Suddenly we came under attack. Doctors in the radiology department started refusing to talk to me about scans and others have been saying we don’t deserve to get paid what we do.

“The atmosphere has totally changed. We’ve even stopped going into the canteen as we were being made to feel uncomfortable.”

Julia is far from alone. United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs), a body which represents physician (PAs) and anaesthesia associate (AAs), says there are countless examples like this with staff facing bullying and being sidelined.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents senior doctors in the NHS, has warned the whole situation has become so “destructive” that it is damaging teamwork across hospitals and GP surgeries where PAs and AAs work.

Dr Emma Runswick, of the British Medical Association, is worried about patient safety. She says: “We’re seeing PAs doing things, such as ordering scans they are not qualified to order and prescribing drugs that they aren't qualified to prescribe.

"And when they see patients it’s not always clear to the patient that they are not being seen by a doctor. It’s dangerous and has got to stop.”

But UMAPs chief Stephen Nash says: “It’s not about patient safety, but about protecting their interests. They want us to be subservient.”

He says the deaths like those reported are “absolute tragedies”, but he has concerns about how they are being used to attack a whole profession.

“There is meant to be a no-blame approach to learning the lessons from failures.”

He says when mistakes are made there are often multiple factors at play, but the campaign against PAs and AAs has meant their role has been singled out. “It misleads the public," he adds.

In the end it will be up to the independent review, which is being led by Royal Society of Medicine president Prof Gillian Leng, to establish the truth on this.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 23 November 2024

Read our recent interview on the hub: Physician associates: What are the patient safety issues? An interview with Asif Qasim