Physician associates ‘should be banned from diagnosing patients’

Staff such as physician associates should be banned from diagnosing patients, leading medics have said, after the death of a woman whose fatal blood clot was missed twice.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has published guidance outlining what it thinks the level of responsibility those in medical associate professions (MAPs), such as physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs), should have.

It is hoped the document will “improve patient safety”, the union said.

MAPs were introduced to the workforce in the early 2000s to bolster access to care for patients, but have faced increased scrutiny