Maybe HEALTHCARE needs it’s own thread - will leave it for others to decide and action…?
Something else that has been flying under the radar for a while - Another nail into the coffin of what we used to know as a well run NHS. Again, it appears to be more sinister undercurrent to the Conservative Government to eventually privatise how the health service operates, all at a cost to all underprivileged, which means most of us…
Anyone unaware of the introduction of PA’s (Physician Associates) into mainstream healthcare, and how they are intended to be utilised as some fast-tracked Doctor (without the necessary training required for the role), may need to do their own research… for the future benefits of your own well-being, and that of your family.
Here is a sample of the ‘tip-of-the-iceberg’ scenario that is unfolding before us…
Doctors fear two-tier GP plan following death of woman misdiagnosed by PA at practice
Story by Cecilia Adamou
Emily Chesterton was misdiagnosed twice by a PA
Doctors have warned that plans to increase the use of physician associates in the NHS could lead to a two-tier healthcare system and put vulnerable lives at risk.
They fear patients’ access to fully qualified GPs could be hampered by the changes – unless they go private. Physician associates, or PAs, do not attend medical school, instead completing only a two-year postgraduate course.
They were intended to help doctors with everyday tasks, working under supervision. But doctors told us PAs increasingly give medical advice and treatment.
The alert follows the death in 2022 of Emily Chesterton, 30, of Salford, from a pulmonary embolism after being misdiagnosed twice by a PA at a London GP practice.
The Government is now planning to treble the number of PAs working in the NHS. Dr Alison George, a GP from Newcastle, said it is a Tory “quick fix” to waiting lists that will lead to inequality. She said: “The public will be seen by, I believe, a ‘doctor-lite’ service – with a few doctors dotted about. To guarantee seeing a doctor, you’ll have to pay or be insured. It’s a down-skilling, downgrading of healthcare which will affect people on lower incomes, and the vulnerable or disabled, more than people with money.”
Consultant cardiologist Professor Mamas Mamas warned: “There’ll be a situation where those with private insurance will see a senior doctor and those without, increasingly, will see individuals with no medical training. Having PAs see unselected patients in primary care, in the emergency departments, doing procedures, I think it is inappropriate and not safe.”
In a British Medical Association poll, 87% of members felt NHS use of PAs and anaesthesia associates was “always” or “sometimes” a risk to safety.
The Department of Health said new rules to regulate both roles will be in place this year, adding: “PAs have worked in the NHS for two decades. They have been found to be safe.”
PS. Apparently, it has become common practice for individuals to obtain a doctorate(fast-tracked) in many unrelated fields, just so they can use the title of Doctor, once they take up a position as a Physicians Associate (PA’s) - Yes they have a right to be called Doctor in their own right - But in most cases - This title is totally unrelated to anything in the medical field of study.! - Nothing more than a con in my eyes, that a person, working in the NHS, can call themselves a Doctor, when the trustworthy patient believes that to be, a medically trained doctor, not someone who has not got a clue…!!
-
While physicians often hold an MD (Doctor of Medicine), the title is also applicable to individuals with doctoral degrees in various fields, including education (EdD), philosophy (PhD), law (JD), and others . The use of ‘Doctor’ depends on the specific academic or professional qualification.
-
Which doctorate degree is the quickest to obtain…?
Doctor of Philosophy in Counsellor Education and Supervision. This is one of the fastest 1 year PhD programs online that cater to professionals looking to advance their careers as academic counsellors or as counselling researchers.