Physician Associates key responsibilities in the DES demonstrate that they could be a key role in the cancer patient pathway from Prevention to end of life.  As they are FCP they need to have the knowledge and skills to triage and assess potential signs and symptoms of cancer and acute oncological presentations.  They would benefit from understanding safety netting guidelines and how to use decision support tools to aid their decision making and when to refer to a GP.  As they are a role that is to support management of long term conditions and provide specialist clinics they could complete cancer care reviews and are already doing this outside of the Wessex region.

There is interest from experienced PAs in Primary Care widening the scope of their role to include more cancer patient involvement.

Physician Associates can support the following:

Prevention

• Making every contact count
• Healthy Lifestyle Advice
• Signposting to services

Screening

• Quality Improvement

Early Diagnosis

• Knowledge of signs and symptoms of cancer and recurrence
• Safety Netting
• Clinical Decision Support Tools

Enhanced Health in Care Homes (EHCH)

• Management of care home residents with cancer or suspected cancer
• Support to care home staff including education, treatment and escalation plans
• Admission avoidance

Personalised Care

• Cancer Care Reviews
• Advanced Care Planning
• Management of symptoms that are the consequences of cancer and its treatments
• Acute oncological presentations
• Signposting to wider services specialist and non-specialist

Patients want to feel confident that the person they are seeing is competent and capable to assess and manage their symptoms.  This is another role that is likely to decrease waiting times to be seen and has the skillset to support and manage long term conditions such as cancer.

They have close links with their GP team therefore will have easy access to refer into the team for advice when needed improving timely access to patients.

We can offer training and education to help you support and provide personalised care to cancer patients, improve early diagnosis and provide safety netting. Please see our resource package for more details (Appendix 7).

We welcome ideas on further training needs or innovation. Please do contact us to discuss further.

Wessex Cancer Alliance provides a Primary Care Newsletter which provides up to date information and education offers. Please contact us if you would like to subscribe.

Macmillan also provide a Primary Care Update which includes latest developments, learning and case studies relating to cancer across primary care, to sign up please access the following link: Sign up for Primary Care Update – Macmillan Cancer Support

We have provided some insight on how you could utilise a Physician Associate and how this will help deliver the GP Contract DES and other primary care responsibilities (Appendix 9).

There are several non-medical roles that would benefit from the Wessex Cancer Alliance offer to support education and use of safety netting and clinical decision support tools. This includes Paramedics, Physician Associates, Clinical Pharmacists, Advanced Clinical/Nurse Practitioners. If you would like support with education to this wider group please contact us.

If you would like more general information about the Physician Associate role and supportive documents, please access Wessex LMCs: PCN Workforce – ARRS  and  Physician Associates – Dorset Primary Care Training Hub (primarycaredorset.co.uk)

Wessex Cancer Alliance provides a Primary Care Newsletter which provides up to date information and education offers. Please contact us if you would like to subscribe.