Report To Ministers From The Department Of Health Steering Group On The Statutory Regulation Of Practitioners Of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, UK

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Article Date: 17 Jun 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) welcomes the report out from the Department of Health Steering Group on the Regulation of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The report recommends the statutory regulation of acupuncture through the Health Professions Council as soon as is practicable. This has brought a successful conclusion to a process in which the BAcC has been involved for well over a decade and to which it has made a major contribution.

CEO of the British Acupuncture Council, Mike O'Farrell said; "The report highlights the need to protect the public from poorly trained practitioners. Long aware of this, the BAcC has been in the forefront of setting and promoting standards of excellence for the acupuncture profession. Our educational guidelines, safe practice standards, professional conduct procedures and accreditation body are at least the equivalent in quality of those of professions already regulated. The BAcC has been working tirelessly alongside the two other professions of herbal medicine and traditional chinese medicine to ensure that the transition to statutory regulation are based on true parity of standards".

Notes

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) was formed in 1995. With nearly 3,000 members we represent the largest body of professional acupuncturists in the UK and guarantee excellence in the following areas:

- Training Standards - entry to the profession is at three year undergraduate degree level training
- Safe Practice - its standards are drawn up in consultation with internationally renowned experts

Ethical Behaviour - rules are monitored and enforced with the help of experienced practitioners and independent non-acupuncturists

British Acupuncture Council