Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS

Matt Aiello is the national programme lead at Health Education England for Urgent and Emergency Care and for Physician Associates. In this episode we focus on the continuing introduction of the Physician Associate role into primary care. Matt explains how the profession is expanding supported by Health Education England, how the role supports general practice, how the recognition and regulation of the profession is being approached and offers some advice for practices wishing to appoint a PA.

Show Notes

Matt’s role at Health Education England (0:41)

Focus on general practice (1:38)

Focus on Physician Associates (1:57)

The roll out and growth of Physician Associates (2:20)

Developing the multi-professional team (4:05)

Antibodies to Physician Associates and overcoming them (5:18)

The benefits of the PA role (6:34)

Developing the role – PAs as partners in general practice (7:14)

The value of PAs – seeing is believing (8:01)

The Physician Associates Ambassador Programme (9:09)

A “horizontal profession” – with opportunities to develop (9:47)

Graduate preceptorships (11:02)

Why would I recruit a PA? Good communication (11:38)

Recognising and regulating the profession – a national licensing exam (13:14)

PAs to become prescribers? (14:53)

The future for PAs (15:30)

The role of Health Education England (16:52)

General practice developing multi-professional teams (17:15)

Advice for practices wanting to appoint a PA (18:26)

The role of at-scale general practice (19:23)

Finding out more (19:54)

The role of at-scale general practice (19:23)

The Health Education England web page on Physician Associates in Primary Care can be found here

The other podcasts we have recorded about Physician Associates can be found below:

Episode 40 – we talk to two Physician Associates about their role

Episode 43 – we talk to Jeannie Watkins from the Faculty of Physician Associates at the Royal College of Physicians

Episode 52– we talk to a GP about the value of the role in general practice