The NHS is now 76 years from its post war inception and building a workforce capable of delivering the volume and breadth of health and social care to meet population needs continues to be a priority focus for national bodies. This national workforce challenge and its effects on the various professional groups and patient care is well documented.
The purpose of this report is twofold:
- to describe how the roles of PAs and AAs have developed to date in both the NHS and other healthcare systems
- to review the published evidence relating to patient safety, patient outcomes, patient experience and cost effectiveness of PAs and AAs.