General Chat

When I first went to my doctors it was the physician associate I saw she was the one who set up the appointments with specialists ect..... Also it was her I saw when I got my diagnosis.
I also remember being prescribed something and she had to leave it on the reception desk for one of the doctors to sign when they came out to call in their next patient

At my doctors surgery we have a Nurse Practitioner, if I cannot get an appointment with my doctor I will opt to see the Nurse Practitioner, in the past she has done the annual review for my repeat medications, she has carried out examinations and various tests, and when necessary written a prescription for me - albeit sometimes she will check with the doctor first.

So what is the difference between a Physician Associate and a Nurse Practitioner and do we need both as it appears that some Nurse Practitioners are allowed to do more than a Physician Associate :-S :-S :-S

I was quite surprised when I watched the news tonight as the American lady was at my old surgery in Sussex 5/6 years ago.... She was lovely and felt that she cared.... More than can be said for the pillock I now have as a doctor.....

Not sure about this. Someone that I work with went back home for a 2 week holiday. Her little boy became ill. Took him to the doctors in her home country and they said he needed a operation. Said she was due to come back here as she and her hubby were due back to work. They gave her a letter to give to her doctor with blood test results and scan results. She booked a appointment this week with the doctor. She got a physician associates. Said a young girl that did not even want to read the letter and wanted to send him for more blood tests. My friend had to have a row with her and then she took the letter and saw a doctor who said he would refer her to a paediatrician.
My friend not very happy

"Improve patient care or another way to save money"

Hopefully both. After all we've had prescribing nurses/nurse practioners for a number of years.

Although seeing a physician associate will shorten the waiting time for treatment, there is always the danger that they aren't being supervised closely, or could misdiagnose.

No different to being treated by Junior or trainee doctors which happens all the time in teaching hospitals.

The NHS is to rapidly expand the number of Physician Associates roles in hospitals and GP's surgeries - it appears that Physician Associates have been working in the NHS for the past decade.

The Department of Health have said Physician Associates allow busy doctors to spend more time with patients, and they are usually science graduates who have two years of intense training.

Physician Associates are allowed to take a patient's history, make a simple diagnosis or do an examination, but they are not allowed to prescribe drugs, order X-rays or work without a doctors supervision.

However, some concerns have been raised by organisations representing doctors and patients - that increasing the number Physician Associates posts could be used to save money as they are not paid as much as qualified doctors.

To be honest, I was not aware of Physician Associates being employed in the NHS, so my questions are (1) will this improve patient care or (2) is it just another way to save money?

The Prime Minister did tell us - the NHS is safe in our hands.