RCSI welcomes the publication by the HSE of the Independent Review of the Physician Associate (PA) Role in the Irish Public Health System, and shares its conclusion that the PA role offers meaningful benefits to patient care and clinical teams when deployed within a clearly defined, robustly governed framework.

We note that the report makes recommendations relating to scope of practice, clinical governance, supervision and employment. We welcome the HSE’s move into an implementation phase focused on strengthening governance, role clarity and national consistency for the profession, and its work with the Department of Health to formally establish an employment grade for the PA role.

We also note that the report’s recommendations are intended both to provide the foundations necessary for safe practice today and to allow for the managed evolution of the role in the future.

As physician associates take up posts across the health system, we anticipate that the role will become a central part of multidisciplinary teams, as it has in other jurisdictions, with the capacity to evolve and make an important contribution within a robust governance framework and under appropriate supervision.

RCSI has a long-standing commitment to the physician associate profession and established the country’s first postgraduate programme in Physician Associate Studies in January 2016, alongside a national pilot project with the Department of Health and Beaumont Hospital.

Since the role was first introduced, RCSI has consistently advocated for clear governance, regulation and a defined scope of practice to support safe and effective integration of physician associates into Irish healthcare.

Physician associates can play a vital role in strengthening multidisciplinary healthcare teams, alleviating workforce pressures and enhancing patient care at a time of growing demand on our health services. They are not replacements for doctors, but work under the supervision of a consultant or GP, increasing the productivity and continuity of medical and surgical teams while enhancing access to care for patients.

Physician associates undergo extensive training through a rigorous 24-month full-time postgraduate programme, followed by national examination and ongoing professional competency requirements. Their training prepares graduates with a skill set that demonstrates advanced clinical and theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, leadership and complex decision-making abilities.