Health CommitteeWritten evidence from the British Acupuncture Council (LTC 03)
Background
1. The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) regulates and represents the 3,000 traditional acupuncturists in the UK. Entry to the BAcC is gained after at least three years of formal degree-level training.
BAcC members support the health and wellbeing of people across the UK, giving over 2.3 million treatments a year.
This year the BAcC gained accreditation from the Professional Standards Authority (PSA—formerly the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence) as part of our continued efforts to strengthen the regulation of acupuncture.
Summary
2. There is scope for an improved mix of services providing care for people with long term conditions—in particular using professional therapists such as acupuncturists, so that more people are treated outside hospital. British Acupuncture Council acupuncturists are degree level trained and provide services within local NHS and social care services.
Commissioners need to design services which promote such community-based care. BAcC Acupuncturists can treat multi-morbidities and the patient as a person rather than focusing on individual conditions. Patients with long term conditions treated by BAcC Acupuncturists are offered personalised services that should be recognised.
It is recommended that NHS contract and commissioning mechanisms such as QOF and QUIPP recognise long term conditions. Service specifications should recognise Acupuncture to support people with long term conditions.
Pilots should be established to test models of improving practice.
3. There is a significant evidence base for acupuncture that should be recognized within this field—with National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommendation for chronic lower back pain, for headache and a recent “meta analysis” of over 18,000 patients also demonstrated that acupuncture is beneficial for chronic pain.
4. Patients with long term conditions should be able to exercise choice of treatment in their long term condition and receive world-class treatment. Acupuncture offers personalised healthcare that demonstrably improves health and wellbeing outcomes for patients with long term condition.
5. The demands of a long term conditions mean that fundamental change is needed. The British Acupuncture Council argues that it is time to think differently about how to respond to the future health challenges facing the UK.
6. BAcC would like to make the following suggestions:
Greater choice for people with long term conditions—for too long, debate about health has been trapped on narrow ground, in debates about the NHS. The BAcC wishes to change the debate by asking what people with long term conditions want from a 21st century health and care service. It’s clear from the four million of treatments a year for acupuncture, that the public wish to choose services such as acupuncture.
Evidence based cost effective services—Acupuncture can provide cost-effective results for people and families. There is NICE guidance recommending acupuncture as a cost-effective option for lower back pain (also for headache). Acupuncture avoids a pharmaceutical based approach, with little or no side effects.
Quality care—Acupuncture provides the holistic, quality care that people want—and demonstrate they need.
10 April 2013