United Kingdom

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) is the UK’s largest, member-led, professional body for traditional acupuncturists. We have nearly 3,000 members, governed by an elected Governing Board and driven by a specialist staff team. We advocate on behalf of Traditional Acupuncture professionals and maintain the highest professional standards to protect the general public. We provide our members with a wide range of services to facilitate their practice, and we also act for the traditional acupuncture profession as a whole:

• Expanding awareness of traditional acupuncture and how it works
• Representing the interests of fully qualified traditional acupuncturists
• Establishing and maintaining the highest professional standards of practice for acupuncture in the UK
• Overseeing and accrediting acupuncture education to ensure excellence in training
• Funding evidence-based clinical research on the benefits of traditional acupuncture
• Promoting evidence-based research to the public, the media and other healthcare providers
• Promoting integrated healthcare and contributing to the development of national healthcare policy

Legal situation in the UK

It is estimated that somewhere between 10,000-12,000 people are currently practicing some form of acupuncture in the UK. Around 4,000 practice traditional acupuncture and something in the region of 6,000 physiotherapists and 750 medical doctors, who use limited forms of western medical acupuncture as an adjunct to their primary modality.

There is currently no government legislation in the UK regarding the practices of acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine, although the BAcC continues to pursue this whenever possible and in the interests of members.

The BAcC is a founder member of the government-backed Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredited register scheme and is the only PSA accredited traditional acupuncture organisation in the UK. The Accredited Register scheme is designed to recognise that an accredited organisation maintains high standards of training, safe practice and professional conduct where the operational sector is not covered by statutory regulation.

Insurance reimbursement

In the UK, most people who choose to have acupuncture consult independent practitioners and pay for their treatment privately. Many private health insurers reimburse for acupuncture treatment, depending on the patient's insurance policy. Insurance companies often require the practitioner to belong to a professional body that is either statutory regulated, usually doctors, or an accredited register with the PSA. The BAcC is recognised by many insurance companies. If the patient has a cash plan, then health insurers place fewer restrictions on who can provide the acupuncture.

State provision of acupuncture

Although state funding of acupuncture in the UK is very limited, interest continues to rise and there are a few well established pockets of activity throughout the National Health Service (NHS), for example for helping symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment, addiction, chronic pain, etc. One long-standing acupuncture service is London’s Gateway Clinic, who are fully integrated into the NHS since 1992 and treat about 300 patients every week. Local doctors can freely refer their patients with long-term chronic pain, migraine, cancer pain, fibromyalgia and HIV. The BAcC’s ground-breaking report, The Scope Of Acupuncture, published in March 2020, gives snapshots of this and other similar services. The full report presents powerful evidence to support the greater integration of traditional acupuncture into western medical healthcare, both in the UK and worldwide.

Recurring events
Every year, the BAcC holds a conference over two or three days, open to members and non-members. In recent years they have teamed up with the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine to host a joint conference. The BAcC also run an annual campaign to tie in with Acupuncture Awareness Week.

Full: practitioners successfully qualifying from a training institution accredited by the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB) are automatically eligible for Full UK membership.

BAAB accredited institutions offer university degree level training – at least three years full-time or the part-time equivalent. Study includes relevant western medicine, plus a substantial clinical component. Any other practitioners wishing to join the BAcC are expected to demonstrate that their training and skills are at least equivalent to those of recent graduates of BAAB accredited institutions.

Non-practising: practitioner members taking a break from practice who wish to keep in touch with all standard mailings and communications.
Overseas: former Full members who are currently practising outside the UK, or practitioners who completed their training at a BAAB accredited institution and who live and practise overseas.
Student: free and open to students on BAAB accredited courses. Students get access to a wealth of online materials and discounts; can participate in forums,

webinars and conference; get free insurance for their pre-qualifying period and get practical advice on being an acupuncturist.

Required continuing education: 

Annual requirement of 30 hours continuing professional development (CPD) Requirements for continuing membership:

• compliance with mandatory declaration
• agreement to abide by BAcC Codes of Safe Practice, Professional Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures
• full medical malpractice and public/products liability insurance up to £5 million
  (included in membership subscription for most members)