NHS physician associates should not diagnose untriaged patients, review finds

Government review says PAs sometimes used to fill roles designed for doctors, potentially exposing patients to risk

NHS physician associates should be banned from diagnosing patients who have not already been seen by a doctor, a government review has concluded.

The review calls for the government to overhaul the role of physician associates (PAs), who it says have been substituted in for doctors to fill staffing gaps despite having significantly less training.