Physician associates in the media spotlight: what’s the latest on the role?

Why have physician associates been in the news?Concerns about the care of a 30 year old woman who died from a pulmonary embolism after seeing a physician associate (PA) has led to the role (see box) being discussed widely in the media, on social media, and by MPs.1Emily Chesterton saw the same PA twice in north London with breathlessness and calf pain, while believing she was seeing a GP, Labour MP Barbara Keeley told the House of Commons on 6 July. Chesterton was misdiagnosed with a sprain, long covid, and anxiety, and prescribed propranolol shortly before her death in November 2022.She was likely to have survived if referred for emergency care at either appointment, a coroner concluded.“This case raises questions about the wider use of PAs in the NHS, and particularly about allowing the provision of unsupervised one-to-one consultations in general practice,” Keeley said.What is a physician associate?PAs work in…
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