Recent years have seen a decline in the number of full-time equivalent GPs in the UK, despite government promises to increase their numbers. Instead, there has been an increase in non-medical staff, such as physician associates (PAs), working in general practices. This shift in healthcare provision could worsen existing health inequalities and compromise patient safety. The increase in PAs is driven by funding incentives, and they are often hired instead of GPs due to cost. Concerns about patient safety and compromised care quality have been raised by medical professionals, calling for a pause in the recruitment and regulation of PAs until a comprehensive independent review is conducted.
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Physician associates working in primary care could worsen health inequalities
