Medical Council publishes position statement on Statutory Regulation of Physician Associates

Tuesday 3rd December 2024: The Medical Council has today published a statement articulating its position on the scope of practice and regulation of physician associates (PAs) in the Irish health care sector.

As the independent statutory body which regulates doctors in Ireland, the Medical Council is of the opinion that it is not the appropriate regulatory body for PAs. The Medical Practitioners Act 2007, (as amended in 2020 and 2023) has no provision to regulate health professionals other than doctors.

The Medical Council’s primary purpose is to protect the public by setting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence among doctors.

The Medical Council is aware that PAs are being trained and employed in the Irish health care system, working under the supervision of doctors to support the provision of health care, contribute to patient management, and improve healthcare access. It considers it essential that these PA roles are defined with respect to their scope of practice.

Commenting on the position statement, President of the Medical Council, Dr Suzanne Crowe said, “Physician Associates support doctors by working under the supervision of a named consultant or GP, and their level of tasks and oversight can vary.

“The RCSI, which oversees the training of Physician Associates in Ireland, states that the PA’s role is to ‘support doctors and surgeons in the diagnosis and management of patients and are trained to perform several roles, including taking medical histories, performing examinations, making diagnoses and analysing test results.’

“The Medical Council’s Regulatory Policy Department has set out key considerations in establishing our position on the regulation of PAs in the future.

“We welcome the timely production of a framework by the Department of Health to guide future decision-making on the regulation of health and social care professionals, which was used to support the drafting of the Statement.”

Fiona McVeigh, Head of Regulatory Policy at the Medical Council, added, “As the regulator of doctors in Ireland, it is important that the Medical Council engages in policy discussions.

“Our research paper and position statement have set out key details around the training, titles and scope of PAs. We have given extensive consideration into how PAs integrate into the health system now and in the future; and have highlighted concerns to be considered going forward related to scope, understanding and role titles.

“We aim to ensure that patient safety remains paramount, the scope of PA practice is clearly defined, and the integrity of the medical profession is upheld.”