Public confused over physician associates working in NHS, research finds

Exclusive: survey finds 57% of people have never heard of physician associates even though they are widely used

Many people are deeply confused about the growing number of “physician associates” in the NHS and wrongly assume they are doctors, research suggests.

Around 4,000 physician associates work in the NHS in England. Ministers and health chiefs plan to increase the figure to 10,000 to help plug widespread gaps in the NHS workforce.