A report in The Guardian, citing data obtained by the British Medical Association (BMA), has revealed that healthcare workers, primarily senior nurses known as “advanced practitioners,” are increasingly performing duties typically reserved for doctors in emergency rooms, neonatal units, intensive care units, and other hospital departments.
Nearly half of all hospitals in England now deploy advanced practitioners to cover gaps in doctor rotes, reports the Guardian and Anadolu.
BMA has described the widespread use of “non-doctors” in medical roles as “absolutely unsafe,” and warned that hospitals may be using lower-paid staff to cut costs.
Dr Mel Ryan, quoted in the report, said, “The scale of doctor replacement revealed by these figures is extremely concerning. There is a huge gap in the level of education between doctors and advanced practitioners. Yet many employers are doing exactly that.”
Several agencies within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) have confirmed they are allowing senior practitioners to carry emergency pagers and refer patients for tests or treatment.
BMA’s findings follow cases where misdiagnosis and improper treatment have led to patient deaths. A 2024 investigation in Manchester concluded that a patient died after a senior practitioner failed to recognise the risk of a blood clot.
Meanwhile, the Royal College of Nursing in England argues that advanced practitioners are “highly skilled, autonomous professionals,” stating that they are not replacements for other professions but integral members of multidisciplinary teams.
