David Oliver: Why shouldn’t doctors defend our distinct professional identity?

Last month’s publication of NHS England’s Long Term Workforce Plan1 amplified some robust debate about newer NHS clinical roles,23 professional titles, distinct identities, and roles across the NHS clinical workforce—some of it tribal, even hostile. Modern healthcare is a multidisciplinary and team based venture, with each clinical group bringing its own distinct contribution and added value. This requires mutual respect and close collaboration—not blame, disparaging language, or interprofessional culture wars. But that compact doesn’t always hold, especially with the current high pressure and low morale.4The kinds of contentious issues I refer to include the plan’s proposals to increase the number of physician associates (PAs) and advanced care practitioners (ACPs), while aiming to shorten the duration of undergraduate medical training and create an “apprentice doctor” route. Then there’s nomenclature—such as the title “consultant practitioner” for people working at senior levels in nursing, in pharmacy, or as allied health professionals. Although these…
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