Your experiences of being seen by a Physician Associate
65 people from across Sussex shared their views with us, including 19 from Brighton and Hove. We heard:
- Just over half of respondents (53.8%) had been seen or treated by a Physician
Associate at a GP Surgery. - The majority of responses (71.9%) indicated that people understood the differences between a Physician Associate and a Doctor.
- 44% of those responding indicated 'yes', it had been explained, or they understood, why they were seeing a Physician Associate, rather than a GP. 37% said 'no' whilst 19% 'were unsure'.
- 50% were 'extremely satisfied' or 'satisfied ' with their experience of seeing a Physician Associate. 26% were 'extremely dissatisfied' or 'dissatisfied'.
Respondents to our poll told us they would like to see:
Making patients aware of the role of a Physician Associate
“I am not always clear who I am meeting, whether it’s a doctor or a PA.”
“I was aware that my surgery at Ship St had at one point a Physician Associate, but I think I was less well informed at that time, so didn't see them.”
Lack of confidence
“The consultation didn't seem thorough, the PA didn't seem confident, and I left not really knowing what was wrong with me and not confident in the advice given. I was then later contacted by my GP surgery and asked to go in the day after to be reviewed by a GP as well. There was nothing particularly different in the diagnosis or treatment, but the GP was confident and reassured me. I would ask next time if it was a PA or GP!”
Physician Associate checking with Doctor
"I have been trying to get an appointment with my sons GP for some weeks now and although we have had a phone call this was not what we wanted. Previously the appointments were with 2 different nurses and then after the GP phone call we saw the physician associate. He was very thorough, but he still needed us to wait for 15 minutes as he needed to consult someone (probably the GP) before he could make final recommendations"
Would rather see a GP
“I needed antibiotics, so the prescription wasn't issued at the time. Would far rather see a GP when I know what the problem is, but I do understand they can speed things up for the practice sometimes.”
