Thread by @doctor_oxford

I’m simply horrified to see @NHSEngland now literally breaking the law in how it misrepresents physician associates & other allied health professional - who are NOT doctors - to the public.

These posters are from the Bradford District & Craven Health & Care Partnership. 1/n

I downloaded the posters from their website, here:

“Physician” is a title that’s protected in law - to protect you, the public, from the dangers of fake doctors masquerading as the real thing. 2/nbdcpartnership.co.uk/download/96/gp…

Legally, only a qualified doctor with a medical degree can call themselves a physician.

And, though it’s not a legally protected term, I don’t believe anyone who’s not a senior doctor with specialist training in oncology should call themselves a “cancer specialist” either. 3/n

Yet here we have an NHS body openly (& dishonestly, & illegally) presenting PAs to the public as “physicians” - doctors - when they are no such thing.

Far from having a 5 year medical degree, they’ve only completed a 2 year PA course whose exit exam with a 100% pass rate. 4/n

Just as bad, they’ve suggested general practices have “cancer specialists” yet these staff are not oncologists or even doctors at all.

They know full well many people regard “cancer specialist” as synonymous with oncologist. And clearly intend to misread the public. 5/n

I think this is breathtakingly unscrupulous from @NHSEngland, @gmcuk, @DHSCgovuk & everyone else involved in this project of confusing & bamboozling the public into believing they’ve seen a doctor when they’ve been fobbed off with someone less well trained & experienced. 6/n

@NHSEngland @gmcuk @DHSCgovuk I never dreamed these folk would literally resort to illegal misrepresentation of non-doctors as doctors - but here we are, at a new & dismally low bar.

Way to go in earning the public’s & the profession’s trust @NHSEngland & @gmcuk 👏👏👏

7/n

@NHSEngland @gmcuk @DHSCgovuk Now in no sense am I suggesting the various professional groups in the wider MDT don’t bring immeasurable strengths to NHS care.

I work, for example, with the most brilliant specialist palliative care nurses whose particular skill set is so extraordinarily important. 8/n

@NHSEngland @gmcuk @DHSCgovuk But the government & @NHSEngland are currently engaged in a completely non-transparent project of substituting swathes of doctors in a huge variety of roles with non-doctors.

Without discussion. Without risk analysis. Without evidence. Without public debate. 9/n

@NHSEngland @gmcuk @DHSCgovuk This runs entirely counter to the NHS duty of candour.

Its dishonest.

It’s taking huge risks with patient safety.

And today we’ve discovered it involves @NHSEngland being at ease with breaking the law to achieve its ends.

How staggeringly low can you go?

Ends/

@NHSEngland @gmcuk @DHSCgovuk I believe you may have first drawn attention to these posters, @tess1728? If so, my heartfelt thanks for highlighting such concerning practice from an NHS body.