GCC welcomes important step towards reform of health and care regulation

The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) welcomes the publication of the government’s response to the 2021 consultation on reform of professional regulation.

Approaches to healthcare regulation have developed markedly since the Chiropractic Act of 1994. The GCC desires change to its legislation to reflect those developments and we look forward to these proposals acting as a template for all regulated healthcare professions.

We have been working with other regulatory bodies and stakeholders in their development, and firmly believe standardising the regulatory framework can deliver tangible benefits for both patients and healthcare practitioners.

We will issue our full response to the consultation when we have looked at the detail, and spoken with our stakeholders including the chiropractic profession, its representatives, and patients.

While we see the potential for the proposals to deliver real benefits in the protection of public and patients, we have concerns over the timetable for implementation and the risk of further years of uncertainty over regulation for the chiropractic profession.

GCC Chair Mary Chapman said:

“I welcome this important first step towards improving the regulation of health and care professionals. Our 30-year-old legislation often hampers our ability to deal with complaints in the most effective and timely way. If implemented well, this proposed legislation would be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver the agile and flexible regulatory regime that modern chiropractic healthcare requires.

“We will now take time to consider the details, and consult with our stakeholders, to ensure that our response meets the expectations of the public and patients; and is informed by the insights of professionals and our experience in regulating the profession.”

Background Context

• The original consultation document - Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public - was published by the Department of Health and Social Care on 24 March 2021.
• The General Chiropractic Council submitted a response to the consultation, which was published on the GCC website on 24 June 2021.
• The DHSC response to the consultation was published on 17 February 2023. The DHSC is now consulting on a parliamentary bill that will grant powers to the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates, but will also act as template legislation for wider reform of the healthcare regulators.