‘Toxic’ PA debate down to failure to listen to doctors’ concerns, says Streeting

Jane Symons/ Medical Journalists' Association

By Emma Wilkinson

A failure of leadership to listen to doctors’ concerns about physician associates has allowed the debate about their role in the NHS to become “toxic”, Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has said.

Speaking to members of the Medical Journalists’ Association about his plans for the health service should Labour win the general election, Mr Streeting said he had been “really depressed” about the state of the debate on PAs and because doctors’ legitimate concerns about substitution and scope of practice had not been listened to, “we've ended up with a far more toxic conversation than we might otherwise have had”.

He said it was important to “seriously address” the issues doctors are raising in making sure PAs are deployed appropriately, that they work within their scope of practice and that they are complementing the role of doctors not replacing them or substituting them inappropriately.

“That's important for patient safety. I also think it's important for a much better workplace culture.”