{"id":23007,"date":"2025-02-27T18:46:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T19:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23007"},"modified":"2025-02-28T16:42:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T16:42:22","slug":"public-misled-over-physician-role-says-coroner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23007","title":{"rendered":"Public &#8216;misled&#8217; over physician role, says coroner"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">21 hours ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">Joshua Askew<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>BBC News, South East<!-- --><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/21141840-f518-11ef-a276-596f7e6218f8.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images The blue and white NHS logo. \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A coroner has said the public is being misled over what an NHS physician associate (PA) does after a woman died following hospital failings, including being misdiagnosed with a nosebleed.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Pamela Marking went to A&amp;E at East Surrey Hospital in February 2024 after vomiting blood and having tenderness in her side. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She was told by a PA she had a nosebleed and was sent home, but the 77-year-old actually had a hernia and died four days later following complications with her care after being readmitted to hospital.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust spokesperson said it would &#8220;look carefully&#8221; at the coroner&#8217;s report to learn lessons on improving services and delivering the safest possible care. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Our deepest sympathies remain with Ms Marking&#8217;s family and loved ones at this very difficult time,&#8221; they added. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;We wish to express our profound regret for their loss.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">An NHS spokesperson said the NHS has &#8220;always been clear that physician associates are not replacements for doctors\u00a0and should only practice with appropriate medical supervision&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;But there remain legitimate concerns about the roles,&#8221; they added. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Blurring of roles&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The coroner&#8217;s prevention of future deaths report, sent to the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, said the PA did not understand the significance of Ms Marking&#8217;s symptoms and had not examined her fully. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Dr Karen Henderson, assistant coroner for Surrey, called the term physician associate &#8220;misleading&#8221; and said there was a &#8220;lack of public knowledge&#8221; that they were not medically qualified. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">PAs are graduates &#8211; usually with a health or life sciences degree &#8211; who have undertaken two years of postgraduate training.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The NHS said they work under the supervision of a doctor and can diagnose people, take medical histories, perform physical examinations, see patients with long-term conditions, analyse test results and develop management plans.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;This blurring of roles without public knowledge&#8230; has the potential to devalue and undermine public confidence in the medical profession,&#8221; said Dr Henderson. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">She added it could also &#8220;compromise patient safety&#8221; with PAs potentially undertaking roles outside their competency. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The Department of Health and Social Care said it had launched an independent review into physician associates to &#8220;establish the facts and make sure that we get the right people in the right places providing the right care.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jVHuOl\">\n<div class=\"sc-93223220-0 sc-46222299-0 ctbOlq eluqFz\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-46222299-2 gdGcRT\">Related stories<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"links-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jVHuOl\">\n<div class=\"sc-93223220-0 sc-46222299-0 ctbOlq hmFIuq\"><span data-testid=\"links-title\" class=\"sc-46222299-2 gdGcRT\">Related internet links<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>21 hours ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23007"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23011,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23007\/revisions\/23011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}