Backing For Crackdown On Bogus Alternative Medicine Practitioners, UK

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Article Date: 15 Feb 2005 - 7:00 PDT

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The Government's plan to protect patients from under qualified acupuncturists and herbal medicine practitioners received significant backing today. A new Government report suggests that more than nine out of ten practitioners, patient groups and members of the public could support the Department of Health's proposals to regulate the industry.

Responses to the Department of Health's consultation paper 'Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture' show 98.5 per cent support for a UK-wide system of statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture from those responding.

The Department of Health plans to introduce a register of acupuncturists and herbal medicine practitioners to help protect patients and the public. Practitioners included on the register will be able to use a specific restricted title.

Health Minister Lord Warner said:

"The existing legislation in this area is weak. It fails to provide patients and the public with adequate protection and does not offer a guide as to the competence of the practitioner.

"The majority of responses to the consultation indicated strong support for our plans to improve patient and public protection by introducing statutory regulation.

"Statutory regulation will improve patient and public protection by setting clear standards of training and competence for practitioners. It will also enhance the status of the herbal medicine and acupuncture professions."

The medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, also published responses to their draft plans to tighten regulation of herbal remedies.

Mike O'Farrell, Chief Executive Officer, British Acupuncture Council, said:

"We have long stood for clear standards of training and competence and believe that the new legislation will further ensure that the current high standards offered by professional acupuncturists will continue to benefit existing patients.

"It will also give members of the public the reassurance they need to experience the benefits that acupuncture and herbal medicine can offer."

Michael Fox, Chief Executive of The Prince of Wales's Foundation for Integrated Health, said:

"The consultation represents, in our view, a major step forward for the regulation of complementary healthcare. We strongly support the need for statutory regulation of both the acupuncture and herbal medicine professions in the same way as doctors and nurses are regulated"

Respondents to the consultation paper included nine organisations representing practitioners of acupuncture, 12 organisations representing practitioners of herbal medicine and nine organisations representing practitioners of traditional chinese medicine. Views were also received from NHS bodies, patient and consumer organisations and the Royal Colleges.

Ministers will now consider the responses to the consultation paper before issuing a draft order later this year, at which time more detailed proposals will be published for further consultation.

It is estimated that there are over 4,000 practising acupuncturists and herbalists in the UK.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

1. On 2 March 2004, the UK Health Departments published a consultation paper, 'Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture', setting out proposals for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine practitioners.

2. Over 1,000 copies of the consultation were distributed to interested individuals and organisations by the UK Health Departments and around 700 responses to the consultation were received. The respondents included:

- Practitioners of acupuncture
- Practitioners of herbal medicine
- Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine
- Educational bodies
- NHS bodies
- Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts in Northern Ireland
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine organisations
- Patient and consumer organisations
- Professional associations for regulated healthcare professionals
- Royal colleges
- Statutory regulatory bodies

3. The report on the consultation can be found on the Department of Health's web-site at: http://www.dh.gov.uk .

4. Statutory regulation would ensure that practitioners meet agreed standards of practice and competence. A statutory regulatory system involves the establishment of a register of practitioners who are qualified and competent to practise.

5. Practitioners of other complementary healthcare, such as homeopathy, aromatherapy and reflexology, will not be covered by these plans.

6. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) carried out a related public consultation (MLX 299) on outline proposals for the reform of regulation of herbal remedies made up to meet the needs of individual patients. A copy of the consultation and the responses to it can be found on the MHRA website at: http://www.mhra.gov.uk .

7. More information about herbal medicines can be found at Herbal Safety News on the MHRA website.

8. For media enquiries ONLY please contact Matthew Ward in the DH Media Centre on 020 7210 5222. For general enquiries / non-media enquiries, please contact 020 7210 4850.

GNNREF: 110760
Issued by : DOH Press Office (UK)

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