Patients will get quicker access to care thanks to the introduction of American style “ER” roles. A recently published consultation document lays out proposals for a new role, medical care practitioners (MCPs), which will help doctors and nurses to treat patients in both primary care and hospital settings, as physicians’ assistants do in the US.
MCPs will be a new breed of health professional performing similar duties to junior doctors under consultant supervision. The curriculum framework for medical care practitioners details the national educational and practice standards and proposed regulatory framework healthcare workers will need to meet before being able to treat patients.
The new MCP role means that after rigorous additional training and under the continuous supervision of a physician, healthcare professionals will be able to obtain full medical histories and perform appropriate physical examinations such as breast checks, as well as diagnose, manage and treat illnesses within their competence such as depression, gout and eczema. They will also be able to request diagnostic tests such as ECGs and interpret the results, as well as providing patient education and preventative healthcare advice regarding medication, common problems and disease management. Medications can also be prescribed as appropriate.
