The British Herbal Medicine Association (BHMA) was founded in 1964 to advance the science and practice of herbal medicine in the United Kingdom and to ensure its continued statutory recognition at a time when all medicines were becoming subject to greater regulatory control.

 

STATUTORY REGULATION OF PRACTITIONERS COMING AT LAST

16 February 2011

The British Herbal Medicine Association welcomes and strongly supports the announcement today by the Secretary of State for Health of forthcoming statutory regulation of herbal medicine practitioners under the Health Professions Council (HPC).

 

This has been under consideration ever since a House of Lords Select Committee reported on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2000, and 85% of respondents to the most recent public consultation in 2009 were in favour of statutory regulation.

The government has now resolved years of uncertainty for practitioners and safeguarded their future as well as the best interests of consumers.

 

The Health Professions Council has been asked to establish a statutory register for practitioners. Following creation of this register, only those practitioners who qualify for designation as “authorised healthcare professionals” will be able to commission unlicensed manufactured herbal medicines to meet the special needs of their patients. Regulation of practitioners will be underpinned by a strengthened system for regulating the medicinal products they use.

 

Peter Bradley, Chairman of the BHMA commented:

“A major step in the right direction. The government has made a sound decision and is to be congratulated. We look forward to a new scheme which will raise standards in herbal practice and give consumers continued access through practitioners to a wide range of important herbal medicines.

 

Our thanks to all those who worked long and hard to achieve this excellent result”.

 

Please check the updated Essential reading page for information and links regarding Herbal Medicine Regulatory Policy, Herbal Safety News and the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive.

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Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (2004/24/EC)

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