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PRESS RELEASE: 9 March 2005

Addenbrooke’s celebrates Physician’s Assistants Awareness Week

Addenbrooke’s Hospital is holding a Physician’s Assistants Awareness Week this week (7-11 March 2005) to celebrate the way in which this new role has helped enhance patient care and contributed to running the hospital more efficiently.

Physician's assistant Christine Ward performing an ECG

Physician’s assistants are out on the medical wards every day relieving junior doctors of some of the tasks they would traditionally carry out, such as taking blood and inserting catheters. This helps ensure continuity of care for patients, as the physician’s assistants act as a contact point when doctors change shift. They also help the hospital function smoothly - doctors report that having them around has a positive effect on the performance and running of the hospital.

Tracey Murray, Service Delivery Manager, said: “The physician’s assistants have made a really positive impact on patient care at the hospital. One example of this is reducing the waiting time for venesection (drawing off blood from patients who have too much iron) from four hours to five minutes, now that we have a physician’s assistant who runs her own clinic to do just this. This is great for patients, and great for the hospital.”

During the week, staff will be manning displays in the hospital’s concourse so that patients, visitors and staff can find out more about this vital role, and get the chance to see how some of the procedures are carried out using artificial limbs and other equipment.

The role has proved such a success that there are plans to extend it to the surgical wards in due course.

For further press/media information contact: PR & Communications Department, Box 53, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 274 433; Fax: 01223 257 143; Minicom: 01223 274 604.