Wes Streeting orders review of physician associates’ role in NHS

PAs do two years of medical training, far less than a doctor. Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA

Wes Streeting has ordered a review of what physician associates (PAs) do in the NHS, amid growing alarm in the medical profession about patient safety.

It will examine the safety of their roles and how patients should be made aware that, despite their titles and ability to diagnose illness, they are not doctors and can only perform certain tasks.