Physician Associates in Mental Health Services (PAMHS): An Evaluation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Physician Associates in Mental Health Services (PAMHS): A realist evaluation of the feasibility, sustainability and effectiveness of deploying physician associates across English mental health services
IRAS ID
324741
Contact name
Paul Tiffin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 30 days
Research summary
There is a workforce crisis in English NHS mental health services with vacancy rates of approximately 10% for doctors, and around 20% for nurses; this harms the delivery of care. One suggested solution is the use of Physician Associates in mental health settings. Physician Associates should be skilled in medical history taking, physical examination, diagnosis and relevant procedures, allowing them to work in roles that support doctors.
Prior research in primary care and acute secondary care has found that Physician Associates are acceptable to patients and are likely to be cost-effective, increasing the capacity and continuity of care in these settings. Thus, there is the potential for Physician Associates to contribute positively and play a key role in easing the psychiatric staffing crisis. However, there is virtually no evidence regarding the feasibility of employing Physician Associates in mental health settings.
This study aims to obtain early evidence regarding the feasibility, sustainability and effectiveness of deploying Physician Associates in mental health services. To meet the study aims and objectives, we plan to conduct a series of focus groups and interviews across three participating NHS Trust sites. Interviews will be conducted with Physician Associates who are currently working, or have recently worked in mental health services. Focus groups will be conducted with key stakeholders including clinical team members working alongside Physician Associates in mental health settings. In addition, we plan to conduct interviews with the three Trust leads that are responsible for implementing the Physician Associate role. We will also conduct interviews with patients, and carers, that have recently had contact with mental health services, and ideally may have had input from a Physician Associate. Our findings will shape national practice and policy in this area, helping to realise the potential of this new role to support the delivery of mental health services.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0231
Date of REC Opinion
29 Aug 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion