The governing council of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has today voted to oppose a role for Physician Associates working in general practice.
The RCGP is the professional membership body and guardian of standards for GPs. Earlier this year the RCGP called for a halt in recruitment of PAs in general practice. And following a vote today, 61% of RCGP Council Members opposed the role of PAs working in general practice; 31% disagreed with opposing PAs; and 8% abstained.
There is a significant chance that the RCGP’s announcement could lead to significant employment disputes between PAs currently working in general practices, and their bosses, leaving employers and employees in conflict. It is important that trade union membership and indemnity cover is in place prior to disputes taking place.
Stephen Nash from United Medical Associate Professionals has said: “It is disappointing to see the RCGP come out against physician associates working in primary care today.
For any PAs, we would recommend you have private indemnity coverage in place, should there be any impact on your working conditions or contracts as a result of this RCGP announcement.”
In recognising that there are already around 2000 PAs working in general practice, RCGP Council did approve three sets of guidance to support GP practices already employing PAs. The guidance will cover the induction and preceptorship, supervision, and scope of practice of PAs currently working in general practice. This guidance has been informed by and reflects the results of the member consultation on the use of PAs in general practice conducted by the College in April and May this year, and the ‘red lines’ affirmed by UK Council in March 2024.
The College will now undertake further work on these documents, taking on board comments made by Council Members, and publish them as soon as possible.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The role of PAs in general practice has dominated the medical agenda for well over a year now and we understand the strength of feeling amongst our members and their concerns for the safety of their patients.
“It became very clear at today’s Council discussion that we needed to speak out in opposition to the PA role within a general practice setting and I am pleased that our processes have enabled us to do this in a collegiate and democratic way.
“We recognise that this new policy position may be unsettling for Physician Associates who are already working in general practice and for their employers, and we hope that our upcoming documents to be published in the coming weeks will provide some clarity on how these roles could be managed where they are in place.”
NHS England commented on medical associate professions (MAPs), including physician associates (PAs) several months ago, calling PAs ‘an integral part of the multidisciplinary team’ who ‘provide valuable support to patients and clinicians.’ The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, bought in by the last Conversative government, commits to growing MAP roles alongside recruiting and training more doctors, nurses, allied health and other professionals.