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Patient safety and practitioner identity: The move towards statutory self-regulation
To profile the profession of Western herbal medicine (WHM) in the UK.
A self-completion postal questionnaire sent to a sample of practitioners of WHM in England.
A typical practitioner of WHM in the UK is female, aged 41-50, white, and practises part-time from a shared clinic or from home. Motivations to embark on a career in WHM are grounded in an interest in natural healing and the desire to help others. The practice of WHM in the UK responds extensively to women's health needs. Tensions in the practice of WHM are identified between a framework of healthcare that is described as 'traditional' and the influences of evidence-based developments in healthcare.
Women, both as practitioners and as patients, and women's health needs play a central role in the contemporary practice of WHM in the UK.
There seems to be an unstoppable enthusiasm and momentum for education that promotes multiprofessional practice in health and social care within the UK. Recent reforms affecting the delivery of health care education and training have created new opportunities for shared teaching and learning. However, there is a complex array of stakeholders with separate and sometimes conflicting agendas, which this paper sets out to clarify and elucidate. Furthermore, it reviews the numerous policy statements that recommend interprofessional education and examines the various assumptions and interpretations of the concept, and discusses the possible reasons for the trends and some of the ensuing tensions. Although this paper addresses issues within the UK which has a National Health Service which directly influences and funds the education and training of its future workforce within Higher Education, the move towards interprofessional working is not unique to this country and it is hoped that this paper may inform policy elsewhere.
This paper describes the current status and evidence base for acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal and manipulative medicine, as well as the regulatory framework within which these therapies are provided. It also explores the present role of the Royal College of Physicians' Subcommittee on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in relation to these developments. A number of CAM professions have encouraged the Royal College of Physicians Subcommittee to act as a reference point for their discussions with the conventional medical profession and the subcomittee believes that they are able to fulfil this function.