"The UK's biggest chain of GP practices lets less qualified staff see patients without adequate supervision, an undercover BBC Panorama investigation has found.
Operose Health is putting patients at risk by prioritising profit, says a senior GP.
The company, with almost 600,000 NHS patients, is owned by US healthcare giant Centene Corporation.
Operose says it's not short-staffed and operates in patients' best interests.
BBC Panorama sent undercover reporter Jacqui Wakefield to work as a receptionist at one of the UK company's 51 London surgeries. The BBC is not naming the practice or the staff who work there.
A GP working at the practice said they were short of eight doctors. The practice manager said they hired less qualified medical staff called physician associates (PAs), because they were "cheaper" than GPs.
Physician associates were first introduced by the NHS in 2003, so that doctors could deal with more complex patient needs.
Their introduction was based on a US model and has been adopted in various other countries.
PAs are healthcare professionals who have completed two years of post-graduate studies on top of a science degree, as opposed to 10 years education and training for GPs.
They support GPs in the diagnosis and management of patients, but should have oversight from a doctor.'"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61759643
