Clinical benefits of a combined physician associate and senior specialist-led emergency surgery ambulatory emergency care clinic introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an emergency surgery AEC pathway was implemented by combining a PA with a senior decision-maker, enabling fewer emergency admissions and significantly reduced time-to-reach-treatment decisions. This in turn facilitates bed-flow and minimises delays in patient treatment. The use of a well-defined PA role in this setting shows initial success and should be considered as a long-term role.