Physician associates aren’t doctors and shouldn’t be regulated as such, says BMA

Doctors have expressed concern about ‘scope creep’ in physician associates’ responsibilities. Photograph: sturti/Getty Images

Senior doctors are urging MPs to reject government plans to regulate “physician associates”, whose growing use in the NHS has divided the medical profession.

The British Medical Association has said that allowing the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate physician associates (PAs) would “blur the lines” between doctors and non-doctors.