Physician associates: Parliament was “misadvised” on RCP’s support for regulation, fellows say

The UK parliament was “misadvised” when the Royal College of Physicians of London (RCP) was cited as approving new legislation giving the General Medical Council powers to regulate physician associates, claims a group of college fellows.Their open letter, published in The BMJ,1 follows a dispute between the membership and the RCP council over governance and the college’s previous stance on physician associates (PAs), which was supportive.23The letter, signed by 32 RCP fellows, has been sent to Layla Moran, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee; the health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting; and several members of the House of Lords.Since 2015 the RCP has hosted the Faculty of Physician Associates, the professional membership body for the UK’s PAs, but the faculty is due to close at the end of this year—around the time the General Medical Council (GMC) will begin regulating associates, in line with the Anaesthesia Associates…
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