Latest news with #UMAPs
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Physician associates union takes Government to court over planned role changes
The review chaired by Professor Gillian Leng, who is president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said PAs should be banned from seeing patients who have not been reviewed by a medic to prevent the risk of 'catastrophic' misdiagnoses. On Sunday, UMAPs has sent letters to the Health Secretary and NHS England expressing their intent to make a judicial review claim, the union said. They are urging the Government to reconsider what the union described as a 'complete overhaul' of their profession, and have accused Mr Streeting of playing into the hand of the British Medical Association (BMA) as resident doctors strike over pay. Stephen Nash, general secretary of Umaps said: 'The Leng Review found no hard evidence that physician associates are unsafe or ineffective. 'Nevertheless, Wes Streeting has accepted the Review's recommendations to completely overhaul our job roles, without so much as consulting Umaps as the recognised trade union for PAs and AAs. 'That is both unfair and completely irrational. 'We are incredibly concerned about how these changes will impact patients' access to care, particularly during the ongoing BMA strikes.' NHS resident doctors outside Bristol Royal Infirmary (Ben Birchall/PA) A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the BMA manning picket lines across the country. The Government has until August 1 to indicate whether or not it will reconsider its decision, the union said. More than 3,500 PAs and 100 AAs are working in the NHS and there have been previous calls for an expansion in their number. But a general lack of support for both roles from the medical profession, plus high-profile deaths of patients who were misdiagnosed by PAs, led to the review. In her report, Prof Leng concluded there were 'no convincing reasons to abolish the roles of AA or PA' but there is also no case 'for continuing with the roles unchanged'. She said more detail was needed on which patients can be seen by PAs and national clinical protocols will now be developed in this area. 'Prior to these changes, PAs undertook approximately 20 million appointments a year,' Mr Nash added. 'Now, every day we hear from employers who are struggling to manage patient loads because PAs and AAs are no longer allowed to carry out the jobs we are trained to do. 'Yet the Health Secretary has seemingly not carried out any assessment of how the Leng recommendations will affect NHS backlogs. 'It is hard to see Mr Streeting's decision as anything other than an attempt to mollify the increasingly radical BMA, which has spent the last few years waging a vindictive and highly coordinated campaign against Medical Associates. 'Now he has played right into the BMA's hand, preventing qualified medical professionals from treating patients properly so that their strikes bite even harder.' Sneha Naiwal, a partner at Shakespeare Martineau which is leading the case for UMAPs, said: 'This case is not about resisting change, but about ensuring that change is lawful, evidence-based, and respectful of the professionals who have long served on the front lines of patient care. 'Physician associates deserve a meaningful voice in shaping their future, not to be sidelined by decisions taken without full and open engagement. 'The claimants are concerned that the current approach could undermine a vital part of the clinical workforce and increase pressure on NHS services, to the detriment of patients and staff alike.' Six patient deaths linked to contact with PAs have been recorded by coroners in England. One high-profile death involved Emily Chesterton, 30, who died from a pulmonary embolism. She was misdiagnosed by a PA on two occasions and told she had anxiety.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Physician associates union takes Government to court over planned role changes
A union will take the Government to court over its decision to implement recommended changes to the roles of physician associates (PAs) within the NHS, the United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) has said. It follows findings by a Government-ordered report that PAs have been used as substitutes for doctors despite having significantly less training. The review chaired by Professor Gillian Leng, who is president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said PAs should be banned from seeing patients who have not been reviewed by a medic to prevent the risk of 'catastrophic' misdiagnoses. On Sunday, UMAPs has sent letters to the Health Secretary and NHS England expressing their intent to make a judicial review claim, the union said. They are urging the Government to reconsider what the union described as a 'complete overhaul' of their profession, and have accused Mr Streeting of playing into the hand of the British Medical Association (BMA) as resident doctors strike over pay. Stephen Nash, general secretary of Umaps said: 'The Leng Review found no hard evidence that physician associates are unsafe or ineffective. 'Nevertheless, Wes Streeting has accepted the Review's recommendations to completely overhaul our job roles, without so much as consulting Umaps as the recognised trade union for PAs and AAs. 'That is both unfair and completely irrational. 'We are incredibly concerned about how these changes will impact patients' access to care, particularly during the ongoing BMA strikes.' A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the BMA manning picket lines across the country. The Government has until August 1 to indicate whether or not it will reconsider its decision, the union said. More than 3,500 PAs and 100 AAs are working in the NHS and there have been previous calls for an expansion in their number. But a general lack of support for both roles from the medical profession, plus high-profile deaths of patients who were misdiagnosed by PAs, led to the review. In her report, Prof Leng concluded there were 'no convincing reasons to abolish the roles of AA or PA' but there is also no case 'for continuing with the roles unchanged'. She said more detail was needed on which patients can be seen by PAs and national clinical protocols will now be developed in this area. 'Prior to these changes, PAs undertook approximately 20 million appointments a year,' Mr Nash added. 'Now, every day we hear from employers who are struggling to manage patient loads because PAs and AAs are no longer allowed to carry out the jobs we are trained to do. 'Yet the Health Secretary has seemingly not carried out any assessment of how the Leng recommendations will affect NHS backlogs. 'It is hard to see Mr Streeting's decision as anything other than an attempt to mollify the increasingly radical BMA, which has spent the last few years waging a vindictive and highly coordinated campaign against Medical Associates. 'Now he has played right into the BMA's hand, preventing qualified medical professionals from treating patients properly so that their strikes bite even harder.' Sneha Naiwal, a partner at Shakespeare Martineau which is leading the case for UMAPs, said: 'This case is not about resisting change, but about ensuring that change is lawful, evidence-based, and respectful of the professionals who have long served on the front lines of patient care. 'Physician associates deserve a meaningful voice in shaping their future, not to be sidelined by decisions taken without full and open engagement. 'The claimants are concerned that the current approach could undermine a vital part of the clinical workforce and increase pressure on NHS services, to the detriment of patients and staff alike.' Six patient deaths linked to contact with PAs have been recorded by coroners in England. One high-profile death involved Emily Chesterton, 30, who died from a pulmonary embolism. She was misdiagnosed by a PA on two occasions and told she had anxiety.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Physician associates union takes Government to court over planned role changes
A union will take the Government to court over its decision to implement recommended changes to the roles of physician associates (PAs) within the NHS, the United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) has said. It follows findings by a Government-ordered report that PAs have been used as substitutes for doctors despite having significantly less training. The review chaired by Professor Gillian Leng, who is president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said PAs should be banned from seeing patients who have not been reviewed by a medic to prevent the risk of 'catastrophic' misdiagnoses. On Sunday, UMAPs has sent letters to the Health Secretary and NHS England expressing their intent to make a judicial review claim, the union said. They are urging the Government to reconsider what the union described as a 'complete overhaul' of their profession, and have accused Mr Streeting of playing into the hand of the British Medical Association (BMA) as resident doctors strike over pay. Stephen Nash, general secretary of Umaps said: 'The Leng Review found no hard evidence that physician associates are unsafe or ineffective. 'Nevertheless, Wes Streeting has accepted the Review's recommendations to completely overhaul our job roles, without so much as consulting Umaps as the recognised trade union for PAs and AAs. 'That is both unfair and completely irrational. 'We are incredibly concerned about how these changes will impact patients' access to care, particularly during the ongoing BMA strikes.' A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the BMA manning picket lines across the country. The Government has until August 1 to indicate whether or not it will reconsider its decision, the union said. More than 3,500 PAs and 100 AAs are working in the NHS and there have been previous calls for an expansion in their number. But a general lack of support for both roles from the medical profession, plus high-profile deaths of patients who were misdiagnosed by PAs, led to the review. In her report, Prof Leng concluded there were 'no convincing reasons to abolish the roles of AA or PA' but there is also no case 'for continuing with the roles unchanged'. She said more detail was needed on which patients can be seen by PAs and national clinical protocols will now be developed in this area. 'Prior to these changes, PAs undertook approximately 20 million appointments a year,' Mr Nash added. 'Now, every day we hear from employers who are struggling to manage patient loads because PAs and AAs are no longer allowed to carry out the jobs we are trained to do. 'Yet the Health Secretary has seemingly not carried out any assessment of how the Leng recommendations will affect NHS backlogs. 'It is hard to see Mr Streeting's decision as anything other than an attempt to mollify the increasingly radical BMA, which has spent the last few years waging a vindictive and highly coordinated campaign against Medical Associates. 'Now he has played right into the BMA's hand, preventing qualified medical professionals from treating patients properly so that their strikes bite even harder.' Sneha Naiwal, a partner at Shakespeare Martineau which is leading the case for UMAPs, said: 'This case is not about resisting change, but about ensuring that change is lawful, evidence-based, and respectful of the professionals who have long served on the front lines of patient care. 'Physician associates deserve a meaningful voice in shaping their future, not to be sidelined by decisions taken without full and open engagement. 'The claimants are concerned that the current approach could undermine a vital part of the clinical workforce and increase pressure on NHS services, to the detriment of patients and staff alike.' Six patient deaths linked to contact with PAs have been recorded by coroners in England. One high-profile death involved Emily Chesterton, 30, who died from a pulmonary embolism. She was misdiagnosed by a PA on two occasions and told she had anxiety.
Evening Standard
2 days ago
- Health
- Evening Standard
Physician associates union takes Government to court over planned role changes
Sneha Naiwal, a partner at Shakespeare Martineau which is leading the case for UMAPs, said: 'This case is not about resisting change, but about ensuring that change is lawful, evidence-based, and respectful of the professionals who have long served on the front lines of patient care.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
After hospital doctors stage walkout in pay row... Wes's new headache as union starts legal fight over cut-price medics
Wes Streeting faces a fresh battle with a medical union, days after vowing he would not to give in to militant doctors striking over pay. The Health Secretary could be hit with a judicial review over his decision to cut back use of physician associates (PAs) in the NHS. Earlier this month, Mr Streeting and NHS England banned PAs, who have less extensive training than doctors, from seeing undiagnosed patients. It came after an independent review recommended a serious narrowing of their scope of work. Last night MPs warned the decision, combined with the five-day doctors' strike, will leave patients more at risk and make it harder to clear backlogs. They claimed thousands of patients could miss appointments as a result. On Friday, the United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs), the union which represents PAs, sent letters before action to Mr Streeting and NHS England. Conservative MP Sir Ashley Fox said: 'I'm worried the strikes might leave patients more at risk now the Health Secretary has pulled the rug from under physician and anaesthetist associates [AAs]. ' 'There seems to be a lack of any long-term strategy from this Government, simply a perverse willingness to give the radical British Medical Association [which represents doctors] whatever they ask for with no strings attached.' Mr Streeting commissioned a review into how the 3,500 PAs in the NHS were being used, amid concerns they were inappropriately substituting doctors. The review, led by president of the Royal Society of Medicine Professor Gillian Leng, acknowledged that PAs have been used to plug gaps on doctors' rotas and called for major changes to how they work and are supervised. She recommended that PAs should not see undifferentiated or untriaged patients – meaning those who have not yet been seen by a doctor. UMAPs general secretary Stephen Nash said the decision to scale back their use was 'totally unjustified and will only make it harder for patients to access NHS appointments and routine care'. He added: 'The Leng Review found no hard evidence that PAs are unsafe or ineffective. Yet the Secretary of State is changing the role beyond recognition, effectively resulting in the unfair dismissal of over 3,500 highly trained medical professionals. 'Ironically, the Government has played right into the strikers' hands, making their walk-out hit even harder while we are barred from carrying out the job we were trained to do.' The pre-action letters, seen by The Mail on Sunday, said the Government's decision had undermined the profession of PAs and AAs, made redundancies more likely and changed the terms of their employment without properly consulting them. Former health minister Lord Hunt said PAs 'are highly trained, safe and effective. We shouldn't sideline them when the NHS needs more support than ever before.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: 'The Government launched this review to make sure patients get the highest quality care and have confidence in the health system. 'Gillian Leng is one of the UK's most experienced healthcare leaders. The Health Secretary has agreed to implement the recommendations of her report in full.' Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, continued their strike yesterday, after Mr Streeting accused the BMA of using 'hardline tactics' that 'punish patients for no good reason' when the strikes began on Friday. Do more to make health tourists pay, MPs demand By Jo Macfarlane More must be done to recover millions of pounds owed to the NHS by foreign patients, senior MPs have told the Government. After a Mail on Sunday probe found hospitals wrote off £256million owed by health tourists in just seven years, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has warned officials they face 'scrutiny' over the issue. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has asked the Department of Health and NHS England to clarify what they are doing to ensure care is 'charged for and collected'. He also demanded officials reveal progress made since the Government pledged in 2017 to recover £500million a year from foreign patients. The MoS revealed in April that just a third of £621million owed has been paid, with £44million written off in the past year. With the number of foreigners seeking planned treatment on the NHS having doubled, Sir Geoffrey said the importance of recovering the cash has 'never been greater'.
