Health Education England have brought together the Physician Assistants across the East of England to work collaboratively and share resources.
Physician Associates/Assistants Podcast - Click here to listen to James Catton's 'The Physician Associate Podcast'
Multiprofessional Foundation School :
The multiprofessional foundation school (supporting new healthcare providers in their first years of clinical practice) launched in 2022. It offers access to joint learning resources and opportunities within the virtual environment (VR and on-line) and some face to face, highlighting the learning opportunities available to each profession be that foundation medicine, foundation dental, pharmacy and medical associate professional.
We have a thriving and innovative multiprofessional foundation school in the East of England. This school has adapted to technology enhanced learning, been innovative in the types of learning opportunities provided, and with the year trial has successfully embedded some multiprofessional teaching that has sessions for PA, and also an offer of multi-professional sessions.
This is opportunity to be creative and support the development of multiprofessional learning and adoption of shared culture within our earliest post graduate years, and their educational faculty.
This unique offer provides the opportunity to support the development and growth a culture of multi-professional learning within the earliest post graduate years .
There is significant national interest in the practicalities and the results of this innovative endeavour, that has been developed with NHSE aspirations of multiprofessional working and Inclusivity.
Physician Associates/Assistants in secondary care
To support the launch of the multiprofessional offer after a successful pilot, expressions of interest are being asked of our secondary care trusts for up to 30 secondary care preceptorship placements for newly graduated PAs or within their first year.
Dr Jane Sturgess is the Associate Dean for MAPS.
Dr Helen Johnson is the Deputy Dean supporting the multiprofessional school and the MAPs programme.
Physician Associates/Assistants
Are you a PA working in the East of England? - get in touch with your local Physician Assistant Ambassador so they can connect with you and involve you in local events.
Looking to employ a PA? or considering a career as a PAt? Check out our FAQs below.
Please listen to the following segment from Jeremy Vine on BBC2 radio - 1hr 5min to 1hr 30 - supportive discussion around pharmacy and PAs in primary care: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00228vf
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Due to the recommendations of the Leng Review, published on 16th July 2025 we are currently awaiting further guidance on the proposed name change for PAs and AAs. Therefore, until further notice we will refer to the role as Associate/Assistant on our webpages.
Please be mindful that it may be possible to access cached versions of our webpages and therefore you may notice inconsistent terminology on these. We would advise refreshing the page and/or accessing it via an alternative browser.
Physician Associates/Assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals who work as part of a multidisciplinary team under the supervision of a named senior doctor (a General Medical Council (GMC)-registered consultant or GP). While they are not medical doctors, PAs can assess, diagnose and treat patients in primary, secondary and community care environments within their scope of practice.
Please see the following video "Physician Associates/Assistants in the East of England" which has been made by James Catton who is the PA Ambassador for the Suffolk & North East Essex area The video provides a great insight into 'a day in the life of a PA'
Physician Associates/Assistants work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence.
They:
- Take medical histories from patients
- Carry out physical examinations in order to formulate differential diagnoses and management plans,
- Arrange and interpret diagnostic investigations, and perform some diagnostic and therapeutic procedures,
- Develop and deliver treatment and management plans, provide health promotion and disease prevention advice for patients
Currently, physician associates/Assitants are not able to:
- prescribe
- request ionising radiation (eg chest x-ray or CT scan
.
The Faculty of Physician Associates/Assistants has an excellent page on 'Employing a Physician Associate/Assistant - https://www.fparcp.co.uk/employers/guidance
If you are an employer within East of England, we strongly recommend you contact your local PA Ambassador (link above) to support your recruitment process. Most PA posts are advertised on NHS jobs.
Hosting PA students is a fantastic way to gain understanding of the role and to 'road test' PAs within a team. If you are interested in supporting PA students for a clinical placement then please contact your local PAA or HEI (links on tabs above)
*Hip and Knee pain; when it isn't OA!* Free CPD tonight
Welcome to this months instalment of the PAWS webinar series hosted by the East of England Physician Assistant Ambassadors. This month we are joined by Richard Morford - A First contact physio (FCP) Working in Norfolk and Waveney.
Thu, 25 Jul 2024 19:00 - 20:00 (IST)
We look forward to having you attend the event!
- 28th November 2024- Emergency urology please click here to view the recording
- 7th November 2024- Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) please click here to view the recording
- 31st October 2024- Electrolyte abnormalities (part 3) please click here to view the recording
- 3rd October 2024- Electrolyte abnormalities (part 2) please click here to view the recording
- 19th September 2024- Electrolyte abnormalities (part 1) please click here to view the recording
- 5th August 2024- Diarrhoea please click here to view the recording
- 29th August 2024- Oncological emergencies please click here to view the recording
- 1st August 2024 - Seizures please click here to view the recording
- 25th July 2024 - Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) please click- here to view the recording
- 4th July 2024- Radiology please click here to view the recording
- 6th June 2024- Giant Cell Arteritis - please click here to view the recording
- 2nd April 2024 - Urology - please click here to view the recording
- 23rd March 2024- Infective endocarditis - please click here to view the recording
- 5th March 2024 - Vascular - please click here to view the recording
- 8th February 2024 - Myasthenia Gravis - please click here to view the recording
- 23rd January 2024 - Headaches - please click here to view the recording
- 6th February 2024 - Obs & Gynae - please click here to view the recording
- 9th January 2024- ECG Training - please click here to view the recording
- 11th January 2024- Sexuality (Part 1)- please click here to view the recording
- 8th December 2023- Personality Disorders - please click here to view the recording
- 21st November 2023 - Heart Failure - please click here to view the recording
- 8th November 2023- Anxiety Disorders - please click here to view the recording
- 7th November 2023 - Breast Lump/Breast Disease - please click here to view the recording
- 31st October 2023- Anaphylaxis - please click here to view the recording
- 16th October 2023- Sepsis - please click here to view the recording
- 10th October 2023- Lower GI - please click here to view the recording
- 19th September 2023- Peripheral vascular disease - please click here to view the recording
- 25th July 2023 - Neurology Examination and Conditions - please click here to view the recording
- 4th July 2023 - ECG Training - please click here to view the recording
- 5 April 2023 - Early Detection and Diagnosis of Cancer in Secondary Healthcare - please click here to view the recording
- 21st February 2023 - End of Life Care - please click here to view the recording
- 26th January 2023 - Thyroid and Careers - please click here to view the recording
