Scope of Practice and Medical Associate Professionals: FOI release

Information requested

1. What is the scope of practice of a PA, AA or SCP?
2. Who sets this scope of practice?
3. How much money is spent in Scotland on salaries of physician associate, physician assistant, anaesthesia associate, surgical care practitioner?
4. What is the number in Scotland of physician associate, physician assistant, anaesthesia associate, surgical care practitioner?

Response

The answers to your questions are listed below.

In relation to questions:

What is the scope of practice of a PA, AA or SCP?
Who sets this scope of practice?

The Scottish Government’s position on Scope of Practice is that Scope of Practice must be tailored to the individual healthcare professional in question. It will reflect the knowledge and skills they have developed as a result of their initial training and should account for any statutory or organisational limits which are specific to their role. Furthermore, it should reflect the skills and experience an individual has developed throughout their career.

In setting Scope of Practice, we would always expect employers and individuals to take appropriate account of guidance provided by relevant professional regulators and Royal Colleges.

The issue of Scope of Practice for the medical associate professions was discussed at the MAPs Programme Board on 03 October 2024. You can find details of the relevant paper on pages 24 – 37 of an already released FOI: General Medical Council e-mails regarding Medical Associate Professionals: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

In relation to your questions:

How much money is spent in Scotland on salaries of physician associate, physician assistant, anaesthesia associate, surgical care practitioner?
What is the number in Scotland of physician associate, physician assistant, anaesthesia associate, surgical care practitioner?

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The reasons why we don't have the information are explained below.

Due to the way workforce data on Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs) is currently collected, we are unable to confirm the exact number of these professionals within NHS Scotland at this point.

Work is ongoing to develop and consistently implement workforce coding for each of the three MAP roles (PA, AA and SCP), with appropriate reporting of the MAPs workforce to be incorporated into future NHS Scotland official workforce statistics. New occupational codes for each of the MAP roles was introduced in March 2024 and the Scottish Government Health Workforce Directorate is working closely with Regional and Health Board Workforce Planners to support the accurate recording of employees against the new codes. The next release of official workforce statistics will publish on 03 December 2024 and will relate to the workforce as at 30 September 2024.

In the meantime, The latest data we can provide in relation to these questions is based on workforce scoping undertaken by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) as part of the Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) Commission Response (cloud.microsoft).

Based on a sampling exercise undertaken by NES in March 2022, there were 25 AAs, 128 PAs and 30 SCPs working in NHS Scotland, with a significant majority of MAPs deployed across NHS Scotland are employed at Agenda for Change Band 7. Further detail can be accessed via the published report.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.