Physician associates are heroes, not villains

Physician associates are heroes, not villains

Doctors like me rely on these unsung stars of the medical profession

Your article about physician associates underlines the bullying and frankly disgusting attacks on trained health professionals who are working under intolerable pressure to keep our patients safe (“Rise of physician associates risks ‘care inequality’, warn doctors”). The same doctors on strike today are relying on nurses, healthcare assistants and, yes, physician associates to care for their patients while they are in the sun outside hospitals. I have worked with all types of NHS staff, and PAs deserve their status as health professionals delivering excellent care under supervision, as do nurse practitioners and others.

In a world where my 85-year-old mother has to queue at 7.30am to see anyone, never mind a doctor, I thank those who have trained more than five years, as PAs have, to help patients like her. I speak as a doctor ashamed that my profession cannot understand the mental harm it is causing.
Dr Shaun Meehan
Formby, Merseyside

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