You may have recently seen media coverage regarding national changes to the role of Physician Associates who work in general practice, and the types of care they can provide.
Physicians Associates are healthcare professionals who are trained to examine, diagnose and treat patients under the supervision of doctors. Recently, the scope of their role has been changed so they are now formally referred to as Physician Assistants (PAs). We understand these changes may have raised some questions or concerns.
As a Primary Care Network (PCN), we are proud to have 2 highly trained and dedicated PAs working across your GP surgery. During your appointment, they will introduce themselves as Physician Assistants. We want to reassure you that our PAs are highly valued and respected members of our healthcare team. They have undergone rigorous training and continue to be fully supported and supervised by experienced GPs to ensure safe, high-quality care.
Our PAs have made a fantastic contribution to our team, and we are proud of the excellent patient care they provide. We kindly ask that all patients treat them with the same respect afforded to all members of our practice/PCN team. We will continue to monitor and review national guidance surrounding the Physician Assistant role to make sure we remain up to date.
If you do have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the PCN Manager at benfleetpcn@nhs.net
Thank you for your continued support.