GP shortages mean patients will need to get used to not always seeing a doctor, Calderdale councillors told

Even if more doctors are trained, they will take years to come through and other staff will need to do the work, said Neil Smurthwaite, chief operating officer of West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.

Mr Smurthwaite said health chiefs were trying to rectify decades of under-investment and until new doctors came through other staffing options had to be used for healthcare.

“The narrative ‘I have to see a GP’ will have to change in the short term,” he said.

Calderdale Council’s adults, health and social care scrutiny board registered concern about a newer role.

In a deputation received by the meeting, Jenny Shepherd raised the issue of the physician associate role being introduced in some general practices.

She said their was uproar among doctors on social media and concerns included that they are not medically qualified but are asked to assess and treat patients.

Some councillors shared the concerns and Coun Ann Kingstone (Lab, Skircoat) asked how many there were in Calderdale and what training did they have.

Coun Colin Hutchinson (Lab, Skircoat) said he recognised the concerns and did not think they should be dismissed lightly, particularly concerning diagnosis.

“Once somebody’s got a diagnosis, participation in that fine, but it’s making the diagnosis in the first place I do not think should be devolved to physician associates,” he said.

Calderdale GP, Dr Majid Azeb, said although he did not have numbers, practices certainly did use physician associates because there were not enough doctors and nurses. He said other roles ranging from nurse practitioners to podiatrists, were also used.

Physician associates have degrees, usually in science, and undertook a post-graduate education and, although their training was only two years, they were supervised, he added.

They were allowed to see undiagnosed patients but could not prescribe or order investigations such as X-rays, he told councillors.

“We have such a shortage of workforce that if we do not find other ways and other clinicians to help with our access programmes we are not in a position to just deliver this service with GPs,” said Dr Azeb.

Although some patients were not keen on physician associates, many were, he said.