THE NEW GOVERNMENT & CHINESE MEDICINE REGULATION

20/05/2010

Just before the Election was announced Andy Burnham issued a Press Release stating that he was "minded" to "legislate" Chinese Medicine via the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).

Since Andy Burnham's party are no longer in power, and in light of the fact that matters had progressed no further than the "minded" stage, there is obviously scope for the new Government to take a different tack.

In the early days of this new regime our regulation will not be top priority but we are (via the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA), the BAcC and others) working to pose questions to the relevant persons.

Both the Conservatives and the Lib-Dems were supportive of our regulation with the Health Professions Council (HPC) before they took  office - we now have to see what their position is subsequent to taking power.

So what might the future hold?

It is hard to call at present but there has to be some concern that the CNHC may be vulnerable as cuts in Government funding proceed - certainly one fears that the necessary funds required to upgrade the CNHC into a more advanced regulator (to match the needs of the Chinese Medicine professions) will be hard to come by in the current climate.

It is abundantly clear that regulation with the HPC would be more straightforward and, for the Government, cheaper to implement than would regulation with the CNHC - and things may come down to cost in the final analysis. At the present time we need to keep our options open and  continue to explore all possibilities to get the best deal for our patients and our fellow practitioners.

In the meantime students and practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine should be assured that both the Conservatives and the Lib-Dems were fully aware of the need to achieve statutory regulation before April 2011 and that they were fully supportive of achieving this when they were in opposition to the extent that we have every right to expect that they will continue to be committed to our regulation now that they have the authority to make decisions.

Written by Peter Conway, LCTA Tutor and a Director of the EHTPA. 

Chinese Medicine Regulation and the New Government

With changes being made to the entire education system with the introduction of a coalition government; the London College of Traditional Acupuncture (LCTA) wait to hear on the progress of the campaign for statutory regulation. Both conservatives and Liberal Democrat shadow health ministers showed support for the regulation to ensure that Chinese medicine is supplied and treated professionally and safely.

In regards to courses in traditional Chinese medicine and traditional acupuncture; the introduction of the statutory regulation would mean the courses themselves offer an exceptionally high standard of training which would be recognised and respected by other professionals. “The qualification gained from the LCTA courses will be of a high enough standard for graduates to put their acupuncture training and knowledge of herbal medicine into practise in their own clinic and on their own patients” explains Carly Lewis, marketing manager.

Should the regulation go ahead; other courses in Chinese medicine and Tui Na Massage that aren’t up to a professional, certified standard will not be able to legally practise traditional Chinese medicine; thus creating a safer and altogether more professional medical practise “saving time, money and lives”.

Choosing to study a course in traditional Chinese medicine with LCTA guarantees graduating students they will be able to practise herbal medicine, traditional acupuncture and Tui Na massage professionally now, and should the regulation be approved; in the future. “Our courses are certified as safe practise and offer a vast amount of knowledge to our students at LCTA. With the introduction of our new masters courses validated by the University of Pourtsmouth; LCTA not only create safe practitioners, but masters in traditional Chinese medicine”.

For more information on courses available at LCTA visit the website on www.lcta.com. The team can also be contacted via telephone on +44 (0) 20 8446 3332 or email College@lcta.com.