This week, Safe Practice Manager Hannah Bowie-Carlin and Research & Policy Manager Ian Appleyard descended on the picturesque town of Llandrindod for the Special Procedures Conference 2024 in Wales.
The conference was a chance for BAcC representatives to speak directly to local authority environmental health officers regarding the new regulations and licensing of acupuncture clinics and practitioners in Wales. The British Acupuncture Council were proud represent highly-trained traditional acupuncturists throughout the event and many meaningful conversations were had.
(L-R: click to enlarge each image)
Hannah and Dr Sarah Jones, Senior Environmental Health Advisor, Welsh Government
Ian and Mark Elliot, President, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
Ian and William Roberts, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)
Hannah and Environmental Health Officers from Monmouthshire
In the BAcC response to this consultation, we highlight the risk that the current regulations may lead to the withdrawal of acupuncture services from economically deprived and/or rural areas. The restrictions on home visits in the current regulations appear to be disproportionate and may discriminate against those who are unable to travel to a designated clinic. The purpose of the proposed public register is to protect the public. However, the failure of the licensing scheme to fully assess fitness-to-practise may lead to a defacto ‘deregulation’ of acupuncture in Wales.
- Draft regulations and statutory guidance for mandatory licensing of special procedures can be found here.
- Previous BAcC statements on Welsh licensing can be found here.
- Archived documents regarding the mandatory licensing scheme can be found here.
- A detailed timeline of event’s can be found here.
We will continue to do everything we can to support our members in Wales and ensure the people of Wales have access to highly-trained professional traditional acupuncturists.
