The future of PAs: What happens next?

Posed by models. Credit: Getty/sturti

By Daniel Pye

Last year was an important period in the, at times, acrimonious debate on the role of physician associates and anaesthesia associates in the NHS – the General Medical Council began regulating the roles and the independent Leng review was announced. Here we look at what might lie ahead.

At the end of last year, the GMC became the regulator for PAs and AAs but this milestone did not settle the debate about their place in general practice or hospitals. Now we await the findings of the government-commissioned independent review into the safety of the roles and their contribution to multidisciplinary teams.

How did we get here?

There are currently around 3,700 PAs and AAs working in NHS hospitals and GP surgeries in England. The 2023 Long Term Workforce Plan proposed increasing to 10,000 physician associates in the NHS by 2036/3037, although this plan is currently being reviewed by the new Labour government. It is this planned expansion that has fuelled the debate.