Coroner warns about NHS physician associates after misdiagnosis and death of woman

The Surrey assistant coroner says there are concerns physician assistants are ‘working outside of their capabilities’. Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA

A coroner has issued a warning about the role of physician associates in NHS hospitals after a woman with severe abdominal problems was wrongly diagnosed as having a nosebleed and died four days later.

The family of Pamela Marking, 77, were under the mistaken impression she had been seen by a doctor when she was examined in an emergency department, rather than a physician associate (PA) with far less training.