FAQ’s.

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Why bother with regulation and National Registration?

Regulation is a chance for practitioners to own their profession . The profession are able to decide what is right for the future of their profession rather than having policy dictated from outside sources. The GRCCT is capable of contributing to the ever-changing CAM debate, for instance with regard to the provision of Integrated Healthcare and the political control issues emanating from the European Commission.

Why is regulation so important to the public and the NHS?

The primary function of regulation is to protect the public from practitioners who have not trained or trained on a course below the profession-determined standard, perhaps have no insurance to practice and no redress if something goes wrong. The public therefore need to check that their practitioner is on the National Register. All healthcare professionals should only refer to GRCCT Registered practitioners.

Do I need to belong to a professional association?

In order to register, you need to show that you have trained to and are working to the agreed national standards. You do not have to belong to a professional association in order to register, but we strongly recommend that you do. See the ‘How to apply for admission to the National Register’ page for information on the different services provided by a regulatory body and a representative body.

Does the GRCCT provide insurance?

No, as a regulatory body, it is not our function to provide you with professional indemnity and public liability insurance; however you do need this to be able to register. You can either obtain insurance yourself, or one of the many advantages of belonging to a professional association is that they often provide a cheaper block insurance scheme.

Why do I need to do further studies every year?

In order to be regarded as part of integrated healthcare in the UK it is vital that CAM practitioners act in the same professional manner as all other healthcare professionals. Keeping your knowledge and skills up to date every year shows that you are committed to providing the best quality service to your clients/patients and keeping abreast with all the latest developments and research. See the Education & CPD page for more details.

Does GRCCT Accredit Schools?

No.

In general voluntary regulatory bodies do not accredit education providers. This is the role of awarding bodies and profession associations. Admittance to GRCCT is on the basis of professional membership or award under direction of each profession.

Are National Occupational Standards a Requirement?

Yes and No.

National Occupational Standards are the minimum requirement for safe practice of a skill and are published by the government Sector Skills Councils. In the case of complementary therapies this is Skills for Health. Where a National Occupational Standard (NOS) exists for a therapy practitioners working below the NOS would be considered a danger to the public and are not granted admission to the National Register.

Where a NOS is not yet in place the profession developed competencies may be used in conjunction with existing NOS competencies to provide a minimum standard for safe practice.  Practitioners meeting the standard may be admitted to the National Register.

For any enquiries about the role of GRCCT please contact us