The BMA at its Annual Representative meeting (ARM) in Brighton today passed a motion calling for scopes of practice for advanced practioners and a review into the roles' impact on patient safety in the UK. 

 

Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chair of council, said: 

 

“Recent investigation by BMA into the use of advanced practitioners (APs) on medical rotas and into the strength of feeling from the medical workforce has uncovered a potentially disastrous abdication of safety responsibilities by NHS management, with widespread and frequent blurring of the lines between doctors and non-doctors. We value our AP colleagues and what they can bring to multi-disciplinary teams but we are clear that some tasks must only be done by uniquely trained doctors. 

 

“If Government can ensure there are clear scopes of practice defining what APs can and can’t do, and enforce them, then the risks of safety errors will reduce considerably. Workforce planning must not count on staff who are not appropriately qualified for the tasks they are being deployed to carry out – patient safety must be prioritised through a commitment to supporting the unique training of doctors. The conference has today supported this policy in very clear terms.”

Notes to editors

The motion as passed reads: 

Motion by NORTH EAST REGIONAL COUNCIL: That this meeting recognises that advanced practitioners can play a valuable role in multiprofessional teams, but notes that variability in regulation, training, and scopes of practice may pose unquantified patient safety risks, and calls on Governments in each UK nation and other relevant bodies to:-

i)    commission a review to quantify the patient safety and workforce impact of current advanced practitioner roles, including scopes of practice, supervision arrangements, and clinical outcomes;

ii)   develop nationally-agreed scopes of practice and core curricula for advanced practitioners, with clearly defined limits of practice and requirements for supervision and oversight;

iii)  ensure that medical student and doctor training remains adequately resourced and protected, including prioritised access to training opportunities that are essential for progression, without undermining multiprofessional training pathways;

iv)   introduce mechanisms to ensure that advanced practitioners complement, rather than substitute for, doctors in clinical rotas;

v)    require that advanced practitioners do not diagnose or manage undifferentiated patients independently;

vi)   consider specific regulation for advanced practitioner roles, including requirements for professional revalidation and ongoing competency assessment beyond their base professional regulation.

BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.