NHS Employers responds to BMA guidance on the role of MAPs
Commenting on the publication of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) Safe Scope of Practice report on the role of Medical Associate Professionals (MAPs), Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said:
“With current levels of demand and underinvestment, there are concerns about every part of healthcare delivery given its complexity and risk, and we support any steps that are taken to improve the safety and confidence of patients.
“Employers will therefore note the BMA’s guide and will review its recommendations carefully alongside the information already available from the medical royal colleges.
"MAPs are not doctors, but they are a long-standing and valued addition to the clinical team, seeking to provide a safe and appropriate level of care and support to patients, in support of the role of doctors. Their long-awaited regulation by the General Medical Council later this year will strengthen their accountability to the public for the work they do.
“All parts of the NHS share a desire to improve patient safety and we know that effective team-work is essential to that objective. It is surprising to learn therefore that the BMA does not seem to have engaged with the Faculty of Physician Associates in developing this union guidance about a different staff group.
"It is to be hoped that further BMA contributions to this important discussion are now carried out differently, and employers across the NHS and MAPs themselves would appreciate the opportunity to play a part in this.”
