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Physician associates should be banned from diagnosing patients, says review
ENGLAND, UK, JUL 16 – The review links patient deaths to misdiagnoses by physician associates and recommends renaming and additional training for over 3,500 PAs in the NHS to improve safety.
- The Leng review published in 2025 calls for banning physician associates from diagnosing patients unreviewed by doctors across NHS England and Wales.
- This review follows a series of high-profile patient deaths linked to PA misdiagnoses and long-standing concerns over unclear roles and limited regulation.
- The report highlights confusion as many patients mistake PAs for doctors and reveals that PAs have been used as doctor substitutes amid staffing shortages.
- It recommends PAs complete two years’ hospital work before primary care, adopt distinct uniforms and badges for clarity, and have named doctor supervisors to improve safety.
- While some medical leaders praise these reforms, critics including the BMA say the measures fall short and urge clearer definitions and stronger patient protections.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Physician associates must be better regulated
Recent years have seen an explosion of a new kind of medical role across the NHS: physician’s associates (PAs). Yet while their numbers are increasing in hospitals and GP practices – and all major political parties have committed to expanding the role further – today’s review into the job role have revealed some rather disturbing
Physician associates 'should be banned' from diagnosing patients, review finds
NHS physician associates (PAs) should be banned from diagnosing patients who have not already had contact with a doctor for their illness, a Government-ordered review has found.The report suggests a major change to the role of PAs after acknowledging they have been used as substitutes for doctors, despite having significantly less training.PAs were created to free up a doctor’s time by doing medical tasks that do not require full medical trainin…
Physician associates ‘should be banned from seeing patients without review’
A new report suggests a major change to the role of PAs in the NHS after it acknowledged they have been used as substitutes for doctors. Physician associates (PAs) should be banned from seeing patients who have not been reviewed by a medic to prevent the risk of “catastrophic” misdiagnoses, a Government-ordered report has found. The study suggests a major change to the role of PAs after it acknowledged they have been used as substitutes for doct…
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