To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the title of Physician Associates to Physician Assistants.
Answered on
5 February 2024
The Physician Associate (PA) title has been well established in the United Kingdom since 2014 and the role has been part of the National Health Service workforce for more than twenty years. The title reflects the fact that they are part of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, working together to deliver coordinated patient care.
It is the responsibility of professionals and their employers to ensure professional titles are used appropriately. As set out in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, all healthcare professionals should introduce themselves and explain their role to the patient regardless of their job title, with PAs being no different.
The General Medical Council has published interim standards for PAs in advance of regulation which make it clear that professionals should always introduce their role to patients and set out their responsibilities in the team.