Pauline Marking, suffering severe stomach issues, diagnosed in hospital with nosebleed and sent home by PA. A coroner has warned about the role of physician associates in NHS hospitals after a woman with severe abdominal problems was wrongly diagnosed as having a nosebleed and died four days later.
Surrey assistant coroner Karen Henderson has written to 12 health leaders or bodies including the UK health secretary, Wes Streeting, and NHS England expressing concerns about the “limited training” PAs have and the lack of public understanding about their roles.
“Mrs Marking’s son was under the mistaken belief that the physician associate was a doctor [and] no steps were taken by the emergency department or the physician associate to explain or clearly differentiate their role from that of medically qualified practitioners.”.
The coroner said: “Given their limited training and in the absence of any national or local recognised hospital training for physician associates once appointed, this gives rise to a concern they are working outside of their capabilities.”.
The family of Pauline Marking, 77, were under the mistaken impression she had been seen by a doctor when she was examined in an emergency department, rather than a physician associate (PA) with far less training.
