The data on physician associates in the UK, and speaking up in the NHS

The data on physician associates in the UK, and speaking up in the NHS

Author: The BMJ March 12, 2025 Duration: 47:02
We've just published a new rapid review on the safety and efficacy of physician and anaesthetic associates in the UK, which was commissioned to support the ongoing Leng review of these new roles in the NHS. Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, joins us to discuss the data she found. Habib Naqvi is director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, and is holding up a mirror to the NHS on it's support for ethnic minority patients and doctors - he joins us to talk about the work they've done, and why Reform UK's manifesto pledge to disband the Observatory is a matter of pride.  Finally, our annual trip to the Nuffield Summit is not complete without a roundtable, this year we asked the question "What is stopping staff from speaking up?". Our panellists raised the usual issues of hierarchy and psychological safety, but also how the lack of positive change from senior leadership has habituated people into thinking "why bother". Our panel; Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the General Practice Committee of the BMAJugdeep Dhesi, consultant in geriatric medicine at Guys and St Thomas HopsitalHenrietta Hughes, the UK's patient safety commissionerThea Stein, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust    Reading list Physician associates and anaesthetic associates in UK: rapid systematic review of recent UK based research Together we can challenge the racism that persists in healthcare    

Produced by The BMJ, this weekly audio series delves into the pivotal research and urgent clinical debates shaping modern medicine. Each episode moves beyond the published page, bringing together the authors, critics, and practitioners directly involved to dissect a new study or a pressing health question. The conversation is rigorous and nuanced, designed for those who appreciate the complexity behind headlines. You’ll hear unscripted discussion about methodology, implications for practice, and the occasional healthy disagreement that drives science forward. This isn't just a summary of the latest findings; it's a critical appraisal in real time, offering listeners a front-row seat to the evolving discourse that defines evidence-based care. The Medicine and Science from The BMJ podcast serves as an essential audio companion for clinicians, academics, and anyone keen to understand the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind medical news. It transforms the latest evidence from the journal into an accessible, thought-provoking dialogue, ensuring that busy professionals can stay deeply informed. Tune in for a direct, intelligent, and often surprising take on the science that matters most.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 100

Medicine and Science from The BMJ
Podcast Episodes
Time to rethink GP's advice on weightloss, and ticagrelor data doubts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:38
Last December, The BMJ published an investigation into the 2009 PLATO trial - exposing serious problems with that study’s data analysis and reporting. Our follow up investigation has shown that those data problems extend…
Wellness industry lies, and preventative AI evaluation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:53
Devi Sridhar's new book “How Not to Die (Too Soon) - The Lies We’ve Been Sold, and the Policies That Could Save Us” is focussing on the way wellness culture ignores the societal context in which health is really created.…
Conflict in South Asia, and simplifying GRADE. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:15
Recent escalations in the ever simmering tension between India and Pakistan brought us closer to conflict - conflict between two nuclear powers. For a long time doctors have campaigned for nuclear disarmament, and Chris…
The problem of prognostication in assisted dying. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
The UK government is debating legislation to allow assisted dying in England and Wales, which puts doctors at the forefront of deciding if their patient will be eligible for a medically assisted death - the key criteria…