Responding to the General Medical Council's Good medical practice: interim standards for physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs), the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"Trust leaders will welcome the publication of these interim professional standards as a key step towards the regulation of these vital staff members.

"To date, new roles have been underutilised despite holding huge potential to bring new skills and ways of working to the fore and improve service delivery.

"That's why we have been calling for the regulation of these new roles to be prioritised to empower professionals to work to the full extent of their abilities.

"Alongside the regulation, existing issues must also be addressed for PAs and AAs around perceived lack of flexibility over skills mix, inadequate access to training and development, and the unreliability of time-limited funding.

"More national support for these roles would also be helpful, as we have seen with nursing associates.

"Addressing these issues will create additional capacity for the NHS to deliver care going forwards."