Greetings all and welcome to the new UKAPA Board for 2010 - 2011!
This is a very exciting time for us as an organisation. Since the elections, we have recently reorganised the Board of Directors and are moving forward with the Managed Voluntary Register and our formal application to the Health Professions Council (HPC) for statutory regulation.
Each Director at Large now has an area of responsibility and a will be leading the work that needs to be achieved on each of these areas.
There is a vast amount of work to be done and we know that many hands make light work. We really would love and need the membership to get involved. Please contact any of the Board representatives by e-mail or through the webmaster if you would like to be part of the working groups.
The register is moving forward and we are hoping to go live at the end of September 2010. There have been various delays but we have managed to overcome the obstacles causing the delays. I appreciate that this is an anxious time for all, but bear with us we are almost there!
We recently met with the HPC regarding application for statutory regulation. This was a positive meeting and we now have the task of filling out the application and demonstrating that we meet the criteria for statutory regulation. This is an enormous piece of work and will be joint collaboration between the UK and Ireland Board for PA Education and UKAPA. We are hoping to have a draft to submit in October to the Council and a final submission in December 2010.
We have been informed that this process will take 6 months to go through the HPC and then if successful another 2 years to progress through parliament. This is a long process but we have to be patient and keep lobbying where we can.
The next general membership meeting is planned alongside this year’s student conference for 20 November 2010 at the Hotel Russell in London. Specific times and events of the day to be announced.
I hope that everyone has a very happy summer holidays whether home or abroad, and I wish all the students the very best of luck in their exams. We are rooting for you.
Warm Regards
Jeannie
President UKAPA
UKAPA was founded in July 2005 by American physician assistants employed in the United Kingdom in an effort to support and promote the development of the PA profession in the UK. The Department of Health's Competence and Curriculum Framework for the Physician Assistant defines the physician assistant as:
…a new healthcare professional who, while not a doctor, works to the medical model, with the attitudes, skills and knowledge base to deliver holistic care and treatment within the general medical and/or general practice team under defined levels of supervision.
As of July 2009, four UK universities are currently training physician assistants. These are the universities of Birmingham, Hertfordshire, St George's of London and Wolverhampton. There are UK PAs working in England and American PAs working in England and Scotland. They are working in GP surgeries, A & E departments, out of hours clinics, orthopaedics and rehabilitation wards. PAs are also found on the academic staffs of the universities of Birmingham, St. George’s of London and Wolverhampton.
