The Spinal Column by Nick Jones

September is upon us. I hope you managed to have a holiday. I know for registrants it remains a tough working environment. Equally, there are signs of a tentative return to normal, albeit a fragile one. Pressures on all our nations’ health and care services are evident. Chiropractors provide a wide range of treatments and interventions including manual therapy, exercise rehabilitation and self-care advice and I know many patients have come forward due to difficulty accessing care elsewhere.

Later this month, I look forward to discussing with the GCC Council its ambitions for the next few years. This will be the first face to face Council in over 18 months, having adopted and adapted to a virtual meeting format throughout the pandemic.

However, I am keen that we reflect on our working and operational practices over the past 18 months and see if there are advantages from remote working which the GCC can take forward. As such, some formal meetings will continue to take place virtually and we will adopt a hybrid approach with employees dividing their time between office and home. We will continue to encourage a ‘digital by default’ approach to information that was formerly posted or printed. That said, this should be a seamless experience for those engaging with us; there is no change to how we can be contacted.

As the 2021/22 academic year fast approaches, it’s great to see demand by students for Chiropractic education programmes remains high and unaffected by the pandemic. It has been a very challenging time for students, institutions and their hard-working teaching and support staff. I pay tribute to them all.

Finally, a call-out and thanks to the registrants who attended our first virtual Live Event on 25 August with me and our Fitness to Practise Director, Niru Uddin.  I found the questions regarding GCC operations, our proposed strategy and the profession thoughtful, insightful and engaging.

I will be holding a second event on Monday 6 September from 6.30-7.30pm. Hopefully some of you will be able to join us.

Nick Jones

Chief Executive and Registrar

Find out more on the GCC Strategy Consultation.