{{ item.label }}: {{ item.title }}

Physician Associate: Ensuring Patient Safety, Accountability and Supervision

Wed, 3 Jul 2024

Virtual, Online

This conference focuses on supporting and developing Physician Associates and ensuring patient safety, accountability and effective supervision of the role. The conference is timely as the role of physician associates (PAs) has been a topic of controversy and discussion in recent months following high profile cases where patient safety has been compromised. The British Medical Association has argued that the public do not understand the role leading to confusion between Physician Associates and Doctors stating that “87% of doctors said the way PAs and AAs currently work in the NHS was always or sometimes a risk to patient safety”.  It is therefore critical for the Physician Associates themselves, and for the doctors that are supervising them that effective supervision and education is in place to ensure Physicians Associates are operating within their scope of practice and ensuring high quality care and patients safety.

Through national updates and practical case studies the conference will enable you to understand the role, the benefits and practical implications in practice for deployment in your service. The conference will discuss supporting physician associates, accountability and supervision of Physician Associates in practice and will include case studies from Acute, Mental Health and Primary Care settings. The event will reflect on patient safety concerns and outline the PA responsibilities and limits of practice with regard to medications and prescribing both now and moving forward. There will be an update regulation including registration requirements for Physician Associates.

“Physician associates (PAs) work as valued members of the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT) to deliver effective and efficient healthcare, helping to improve continuity of care and expand patient access to health services. PAs are trained to examine, diagnose and treat patients under the supervision of doctors. With careful workforce and service planning based on local needs, PAs can support the delivery of effective and efficient medical services across the wider health system. PAs are not doctors, and cannot and must not replace doctors... PAs must always work within a defined scope of competence; they are not independent medical practitioners and must be supervised appropriately by doctors. Employers must ensure that the supervision of PAs is never to the detriment of doctors, and patients must always receive clear and accurate information about who is treating them and making decisions about their care.”

NHS England Position on Physician Associates 7th February 2024

“We welcome this significant milestone towards becoming the regulator of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs). We now continue our work towards bringing these valuable professions into regulation by the end of 2024.‘PAs and AAs are vital members of multidisciplinary teams and practise across the UK to complement the work of doctors. We know that better supported teams, and more manageable workloads, lead to better patient care. The development of these roles should help the health service deal with ongoing pressures.””

GMC December 2023

“The Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) welcomes the outcome of the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order (AAPAO) debate that took place in the House of Lords yesterday (Monday 26 February 2024). The debate raised several important topics in relation to the physician associate (PA) profession. Following the debate, the House of Lords approved the draft Order that will bring PAs and anaesthesia associates (AA) into regulation. This can now be made law.. This is a pivotal point in our journey and promotes the most important element in PA practice – patient safety.”

The Faculty of Physician Associates 27th February 2024

This conference will enable you to:

  • Network with colleagues working to develop the role of the Physician Associate

  • Reflect on the evidence of clinical impact and improvements in patient experience

  • Learn from established practice and case studies of the Physician Associate role

  • Reflect on patient safety, accountability and effective supervision of the PA role  

  • Improve the relationships and ways of working between Physician Associates and the Multidisciplinary team

  • Understand and reflect on current challenges in training, education, competence and accountability

  • Prescribing Rights – understand current issues and limitations of practice

  • Reflect on the recent high profile cases and what can be learned in terms of clinical supervision and ensuring patient safety

  • Reflect on the barriers and facilitators to integration of Physician Associates into the clinical team?

  • Update your knowledge on national developments including Physician Associate Regulation

  • Understand what support Physician Associates can provide

  • Ensure clear guidance around limitations of practice including prescribing (and how this might change with regulation)

  • Identify key strategies for effective Clinical Supervision

  • Examine your role in supporting Physician Associates

  • Learn from experienced Physician Associates in a diverse clinical areas

  • Self assess and reflect on your own practice

  • Supports CPD professional development and acts as revalidation evidence. This course provides 5 Hrs training for CPD subject to peer group approval for revalidation purposes

Speakers include:

Dr Natalie King

Clinical Director Medicine
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Mr Alex Reynolds

Lead Physician Associate for Neurosurgery
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Exhibition & Sponsorship Packages

This conference offers a valuable opportunity for industry suppliers to personally meet with their target audience where they will have time to talk and demonstrate the benefits of their products. High quality specialist audiences make having a presence at our events a highly targeted and cost effective marketing channel.

Why Exhibit?

Having a presence at this event will give you the opportunity to:

  • Demonstrate your product, system or service
  • Network and engage with your key audience  
  • Generate new business leads
  • Gain exposure for your brand and raise the profile of your organisation
  • Understand the current needs of your audience and challenges they’re facing
  • Update your knowledge of national policy and local developments  

Enquire

Contact Sarah Jane for exhibition and sponsorship prices, or to discuss a tailored package to suit your needs and budget.

Fee Options

Virtual NHS, Schools, Care and Public Sector

£295.00

(£354.00)

Virtual Voluntary sector & charities

£250.00

(£300.00)

Virtual Commercial organisations

£495.00

(£594.00)

Current Physician Associates or Aspiring Physician Associates

£95.00

(£114.00)

(Prices in brackets include VAT)

Discounts

Additional delegate discount:

A discount of 15% will be applied to fees for any extra delegates.

Online discount:

A discount of 10% will be applied if you pay using the website.

Also of Interest

Browser unsupported

You’re using an unsupported browser.

This website uses the latest web technology and your browser doesn't support those technologies at this time.

Please update to Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari (on Mac) to view the full experience.