To finish the H.A.C. course and qualify with a certificate of competence you must pass the simple assessments and complete the course and clinic (missed days must still be paid for). This certificate will enable you to obtain insurance to practice and join the AHPR.
Currently acupuncture is unregulated in the UK and there is no legally recognised authority or accreditation body. Acupuncturists are regulated to the extent that they are bound by local council rules regarding their premises and health and safety in a similar way to tattooists. Doctors who do a couple of weekends learning acupuncture join the BMAS (British Medical Acupuncture Society) which is somewhat ironically the best known and recognised group. There are various other independent groups like the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) which runs the BAAB (British Acupuncture Accreditation Board) and another called the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ATCM). These are bodies who set their own standards for accrediting courses or for recognising people trained in China. We are in the process of forming our own body of this type the AHPR. We are not as sophisticated as the BAAB in our documentation and run a shorter course but you should bear in mind that none of this has any legal weight. Everyone sets their own standards just as we do for our 6 month course.
We have now had a public consultation about the regulation of acupuncture and are waiting for the Governments decision. The Shipman case and others have shown that regulation cannot guarantee public safety and any code of conduct is complex to implement. The Department of Health thinks that acupuncture might be regulated by 2012. When (if) regulation comes then established acupuncturists will have to apply to be included in the register and demonstrate their competence regarding public safety.
We are confident that our students will reach the standard and will strongly argue the case that our graduates are just as safe and competent as anyone else. But at the moment no-one, including the BAcC who are the main group promoting regulation can say exactly what will happen or when.
To see the AHPR website for details of insurance, safety and code of ethics for our graduates. Click Here