The BBC’s Panorama programme has carried out undercover research identifying the use of physician associates in GP surgeries without sufficient supervision.
The investigation was researching practices at the Operose Health chain of GP practices which, according to the BBC, runs 70 practices across England.
In the specific practice where the investigation was carried out, it was found that ‘physician associates’ who have fewer years of training than GPs and whose work should be supervised by a doctor, were being used without adequate supervision.
The programme also revealed that the physician associates were being employed because they were cheaper than fully-qualified GPs.
Further research by Panorama has identified that whereas the average patient to GP ratio in GP practices is 1.2 to 2000, in the Operose Health practices, the ratio is 0.6 GPs per 2000 patients.
The programme raised the question of the impact of such practices on patient safety.
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