Andy Tait

Doctor. Co-Chair of the Severn GPVTS Committee. Committed to full pay restoration. Keen bread baker. All views my own.

[Dr David Nicholl @djnicholl]

Only the third extraordinary general meeting of @RCPhysicians in its 505 year history.

A landmark result #RCPEGM

Thank you all FRCPs who voted

[Partha S Kar 🇮🇳🇬🇧🏏🎥 @parthaskar]

Emphatic

In spite of data shenanigans (which may have influenced some votes)

It’s time for a pause
It’s time for scope
It’s time to look at rotas

Much kudos to many who have kept raising the issue at personal risk and battling national orgs

You know who you are

#RCPEGM

[Dr Robert Laurenson @RobLaurensonD4P]

Many have asked Medical Leaders to set the scope of our assistants.

So @TheBMA has done it.

Tomorrow we take the lead and move the debate on to address the very real patient safety issues.

[Janet Eastham @JanetEastham]

🔴 NEW: IT blunder allowed PAs at Calderdale and Huddersfield to "illegally" prescribe drugs inc opiates and sedatives
PAs prescribed oxycodone, codeine, lorazepam, diazepam and midazolam, despite being "instructed they are not legally able to prescribe”
https://t.co/OOC9yUiCk9

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

There needs to be a serious conversation about the scope of practice by MAPs. Doctors are screaming for this. Patients deserve this. Patients are at risk. It simply is ridiculous that nationally undefined roles are being allowed to practice like this.

[Dr Matt Kneale (🦋drmk.link) @mattster]

Family of film make-up artist call for inquest after treatment by physician associate which led to death.

@JanetEastham @TheDA_UK @TheBMA

https://t.co/nV6wnGUbSZ

[Dr Robert Laurenson @RobLaurensonD4P]

I'm not a neurosurgeon.
I'm not a cardiologist.
I'm not a gastroenterologist.
I'm not a surgeon.
I'm not an anaesthetist.
I'm not an EM doc.

But I am a doctor and I have a sense of professional kinsmanship.

I don't see that from the Royal Colleges. Why?

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

@cannula_service @rcgp are you planning on providing any information/advice/reassurance to members? At the moment many are feeling they are being replaced and no one seems to care.

[Balazs (🦋cannulaservice.hibalazs.net) @cannula_service]

A retired boomer with more fingers in pies than I can bake saying that PAs have more training in prescribing over their two years than medical students over 5?

Why do we tolerate this blatant propaganda? It's not just false it's absurd on every level.

The country hates doctors.

[Dr Roddy Neilson @Roddy_Neilson]

This is Nadeem Moghal the ex CEO of a private company (DMC Healthcare) that provides outsourced medical care to the NHS stating an absolute untruth about medical school training v PA training. Given this role I wonder why this might be?

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

@DrEilidhMaria Complete nonesense. It would be hugely insulting if it wasn't so grossly innaccurate it is beyond ridiculous.

So we don't learn to prescribe but each year I am taught to safely prescirbe for 5-6 years and have to pass the Prescribe Safety Assessment?

[Ollie Burton @ollieburtonmed]

Let alone anything else, this should put to bed the idea that discontent is a small vocal minority. Almost 9/10 of those surveyed. @gmcuk @rcgp @RCPhysicians @RCSnews ignore or downplay at your own peril

[Vivek Trivedi @_VivekTrivedi]

Doctors are worried about the pace of expansion of a lesser trained workforce being used as doctor substitutes

It’s unsafe for patients
It further degrades doctors
It puts unfair expectations on associate professions

If that’s not the plan then no issue, but…

[Dr Robert Laurenson @RobLaurensonD4P]

They may continue to ignore us as representatives but they can not ignore us as a collective workforce.

When they don’t listen to us, we organise.

If you treat us with contempt…

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

@NHSE_WTE To summarise - your proposals seem unworkable regarding PAs if you truly want fair and high standards.

We all would love run through training for all specialties. Hyperrotation does not work and is a misery for many trainees. Why punish those forced to rotate with poor training?

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

@NHSE_WTE There is a pathway - GEM. How can you clearly map capabilities of some experience vs rigorous study?

I am all for more GP placement in GP training. But hospital medicine is vital experience. The issue is a lot of placements are pure service provision. It already takes 5 years..

[Dr Done @Dr_Done_]

In a WhatsApp group of ~600 GPs, this is the current sentiment, and it’s horrific.

I actually can’t believe what I’m reading.

And I feel bad for those that were fooled into employing these roles - the consequences are being felt by all.

This is utter madness.

Read every word.

[The BMA @TheBMA]

Our deep concern about DHSC's plan to regulate PAs and AAs by @GMCUK stems from the fact that:

1. They are not doctors
2. GMC regulation will compound patient confusion
3. ‘Associate’ titles blur distinctions between doctors, AAs and PAs.

The Gov’t must change this unsafe plan.

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

No one is arrogant enough to study & think they should walk into a job....but 1000 applicants for a job. Still gaps on rotas. We hear there needs to be other roles to help...yet 1000 applicants for JCF roles? Does workforce planning exist?! Real workforce planning. Not headlines.

[platinumpizza™ @Xeon4f145d96s1]

A glimpse into the future!

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

@drcolinm I think it is reasonable to take multiple concerns from a profession seriously. It must be recognised that a generation of doctors fear a regulator, particularly those from certain backgrounds. Much more could be done to address these concerns and shouldn’t be brushed aside.

[Andy Tait @drandytait]

@ollieburtonmed Absolutely they should. Creating fake bottlenecks to restrain employers from hiring the staff they want creates a false economy and causes a dilemma on the scope of some roles which are not clearly defined/regulated..

Some roles in ARRS are extremely useful. GPs are useful too…