The parents of an actress who died from a blood clot have raised grave concerns over the deployment of physician associates (PAs) after the medical staff misdiagnosed their daughter’s symptoms.
Emily Chesterton, 30, was misdiagnosed by a PA twice before she tragically passed away from a blood clot three weeks later.
The young actress was seen by a PA at the Vale Practice surgery in north London on October 31, 2022.
She complained of calf pain, a swollen and hot leg, shortness of breath , and was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe and walk.
Emily complained of calf pain, a swollen and hot leg, and difficulty breathing
Emily Chesterton/Facebook
Emily, a musical theatre performer from Greater Manchester who had moved to London to further her acting career, was under the impression she had been seen by a GP – but instead a physician associate prescribed her propranolol medication for anxiety.
She was rushed to hospital later that evening after suddenly collapsing. Unfortunately, the doctors could not save her in time.
She died several hours later due to a blood clot in her left leg which triggered a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery in the lung, blocking blood flow to part of the lung.
A coroner’s report concluded her life could have been saved if she had been “immediately referred to a hospital emergency unit”.
Following the tragic and avoidable death of their daughter, Brendan and Marion Chesterton, 64, are demanding greater transparency on whether patients are being seen by a PA or GP, and have expressed their concerns that the wider rollout of the medical personnel will lead to similar horror stories.
Describing her daughter as a “beautiful soul”, Mrs Chesterton, told The Times that the family wanted “to protect other families”, adding: “We want this never to happen to any more Emilys.”
The former teacher said: “We are concerned that patients are seeing physician associates and not realising that they are not doctors, like Emily.”
PAs support doctors in the diagnosis and management of patients. As opposed to GPs, their medical knowledge is more general.
A blood clot in the leg can trigger a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery in the lung
Getty Images
An NHS spokesperson said: “As the Minister outlined in the Commons, patient safety lies at the heart of the NHS long-term workforce plan and the role of physician associates are a vitally important part of our staffing mix, with over 3,000 members of staff working in this role across the health service in England.
“Physician associates are qualified and trained health professionals usually with a bioscience-related degree, working alongside fully trained doctors as part of the care team.”
However, following Emily’s tragic death, leading medical staff are calling for the banning of PAs.
In response, the British Medical Association (BMA) has published guidance outlining what it thinks the level of responsibility those in medical associate professions (MAPs), such as physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs), should have.
It is hoped the document will “improve patient safety”, the union said.
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