March 3, 2026

Physician assistants: Six months on from Leng review, where does the profession stand?

Key Points

The physician assistant roles in the NHS have evolved in response to recommendations from the Leng review.
Key recommendations from the review, all accepted by the government, aim to enhance the effectiveness of roles in healthcare.
Observational analysis on deployment of physician assistants reveals significant progress in their integration into the NHS.
The findings suggest ongoing challenges in public perception and the need for further clarification of roles in health settings.

Abstract

Gillian Leng’s review set out recommendations for how physician assistants should be used in the NHS. Matthew Limb examines how much progress has been made In autumn 2024 health and social care secretary Wes Streeting asked Gillian Leng, president of the Royal Society of Medicine and a former chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to carry out a rapid independent review into the safety and scope of the roles of physician associate (PA) and anaesthesia associate (AA).1 The review was an attempt to “reset the hostility” after the long and bitter debate in the NHS over the safety and effectiveness of the roles. Leng was tasked with assessing how effectively PA and AA roles were currently deployed in the NHS and how any new roles should work in the future. Leng’s report, published in July 2025, made 18 recommendations, all of which were accepted by the government (box 1).234 Box 1 ### Leng’s key recommendationsRETURN TO TEXT

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Physician assistants: Six months on from Leng review, where does the profession stand?

Key Points

Abstract

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