Using advance practitioners on doctors' rotas risks patient safety, BMA says

Jeff Moore/PA Wire

By Erin Dean

More than 40% of NHS hospitals are risking patient safety by using advanced practitioners on doctors’ rotas, the BMA has said.

In a survey from the union completed by 104 hospitals, 43 NHS trusts and boards said they used advanced practitioners on medical rotas, while 44 said they did not.

Guidelines for the use of these roles, generally filled by individuals who have a nursing, pharmacist or paramedic background, were not clear in the responses from 16 hospitals.

The BMA said the “slapdash” approach to the use of the role in NHS hospitals is a “potential disaster for everyone involved”.

Hospitals were using non-medics “to plug persistent staffing gaps”, pushing staff beyond their level of training, the union said about the figures it collected through freedom of information requests.

'Harm to patient safety'

The Royal College of Physicians said advanced practitioners should never be used to substitute doctors on rotas.