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ACUPUNCTURE REGULATION

www.acupuncturecourse.org.uk

There is still some confusion and even disinformation about the proposed regulation of acupuncture in England. The present position is as follows (3 August 2008).

It seems likely that the regulator for acupuncture will be the HPC, and the earliest that regulation could come into effect would be 18 months from the next formal meeting of the HPC in October. It will not be necessary for health professionals to appear on the register to be able to use acupuncture in their practice, but some may wish to do so - for example, if they are running a private practice specialising in acupuncture. A 'grandparenting' arrangement is expected to be in place, which would allow the inclusion of health professionals with evidence of suitable training and experience, such as the COBC that the BMAS awards to its members who have fulfilled the requirements.

At present there are NO statutorily recognised qualifications in acupuncture in Britain. The School of Postgraduate Medicine at the University of Hertfordshire offers an MSc in Western Medical Acupuncture with interim awards of Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma in Western Medical Acupuncture. For details, please contact the Principal Lecturer, Marion Richardson.

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