BMA concern about 'unsafe' working arrangements between PAs and resident doctors at Plymouth hospital

N Chadwick (Creative Commons)

By Daniel Pye

The British Medical Association has accused University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust of having "unsafe and unprofessional practice" and raised “serious concerns” about working arrangements between resident doctors and physician associates.

An open letter signed by chair Professor Phil Banfield and addressed to Plymouth’s interim chief executive Mark Hackett, copied in instructions to resident doctors that were leaked on social media.

In the leaked email resident doctors appear to have been tasked with organising a rota to prescribe or order ionising radiation on behalf of a physician associate in a ward.

The BMA said it had “serious concerns about the apparent unsafe and unprofessional working arrangements between resident doctors and physician associates”.

The trust said the advice from the ward did not “accurately convey trust policy”, apologised for confusion and said PAs are directly supervised by consultants.

The BMA said the instructions would cause resident doctors to “breach professional standards set by their regulator, risk their professional indemnity and jeopardise patient safety”.