Response to the UK Department of Health's proposals for statutory regulation of acupuncture and herbal medicine

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Article Date: 09 Jun 2004 - 1:00 PDT

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The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has considered carefully the Department of Health's (DOH) initial proposals for statutory regulation of acupuncture and herbal medicine and has now made its formal response.

The BAcC agrees that acupuncture should be subject to statutory regulation across the UK. However, it recommends that acupuncture should be regulated by a General Acupuncture Council (GAC) rather than the DOH's proposed shared Complementary and Alternative Medicine Council (CAM Council). The BAcC believes patients' needs would not be best served by a single regulatory body representing diverse professions with very different educational and professional structures.

The BAcC believes that there should be two primary titles; 'Acupuncturist' and 'Herbal Medicine Practitioner.' Any Western medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses or physiotherapists wanting to claim either title should meet appropriate and similarly high educational standards set by the regulatory body for acupuncture.

To ensure the highest professional standards, the BAcC agrees with the DoH that automatic entry to the new Register should only be granted following graduation from an approved training programme.

Mike O' Farrell, BAcC Chief Executive, comments: "The BAcC recommends that acupuncture should be regulated by a General Acupuncture Council. However, if this is not feasible a secondary option would be for a combined Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Council consisting of separate committees with the ability to set educational standards and Continuing Professional Development strategies appropriate to the two different professions.

"The British Acupuncture Council welcomes statutory regulation as a means of ensuring the best treatment for patients from highly skilled practitioners. It also would strongly recommend that patients' and consumer organisations have a central place in the governing council."

Primary responsibilities of the regulatory governing body ( applicable to both options -General Acupuncture Council or Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Council) will include:

--- Maintaining a Register of members

--- Determining standards of education and training

--- Advising on and administering procedures relating to conduct and performance

-Ends -

For further information please contact Republic:
Jo Wilmot/Catherine Mills
Republic
Tel: 020 7379 5000
Fax: 020 7379 5111
Joanna@republicpr.com/ catherine@republicpr.com
About the BAcC

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has a membership of over 2,500 professionally qualified acupuncturists. It is the UK's largest professional body for the practice of acupuncture.

BAcC members practise a traditional, holistic style of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment based on what has been developed and refined over 2,000 years. To achieve BAcC membership, practitioners must first undertake extensive training in traditional acupuncture (minimum three years' full-time or part-time equivalent), which includes physiology, anatomy and other biomedical sciences appropriate for practice.

Jo Wilmot
Senior Account Executive
Republic
020 7379 5000 Ext 245
020 7379 5133
http://www.republicpr.com

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