The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council: how it will work

Practitioners from many complementary therapies will be able to sign up after proving that they have met the necessary high standards of the Council.  They will also need to pay a small fee. Once registered, their names will be added to a database on the  Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council's website.  (The register is still under construction, but you can keep up to date with developments on the website.)

When the register is live, members of the public will be able to check to see if their complementary therapist is registered.  If someone visits a complementary therapist and is unhappy with their treatment, they will be able to go through a complaints procedure organised by the  CNHC .

It is planned that the  CNHC  will be run by lay people, although complementary therapists will act as advisors to the Council.  This arrangement means that the Council's decisions will be impartial, independent and fair.

Some frequently asked questions:

Who set up the CNHC ?

Complementary therapy professions themselves have developed this regulatory model, with support and facilitation from The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health.  FIH has been working for several years with a range of complementary therapy professions.  For the past year they have been helping professions  to organise an ‘umbrella’ regulator.

How do I get in touch with the CNHC?

Contact Peter Mitchell  who is interim manager for the Council until permanent staff can be recruited.  The phone number of the new body is 0845 1211 929.

How can I stay in touch with news about the CNHC? 

On the website www.cnhc.org.uk.  For more general news on regulation, sign up to our own newsletter (just enter your email address at the bottom of any page on this website).

I am a complementary therapist - how do I sign up with the CNHC ?

To sign up to CNHC, your profession has to be a member.  As therapy bodies join, they will publish the standards expected of a CNHC practitioner, and all those meeting the standards will be eligible to join the CNHC's register for that profession.

Therapies who have participated in developing the regulator are Alexander technique, aromatherapy, Bowen technique, cranial therapy, homeopathy, massage therapy, naturopathy, nutritional therapy, reflexology, reiki, shiatsu and yoga therapy.  Many, but not all, are likely to join the CNHC in the months after it officially launches.

I'd like more details about how the Council will work.

This powerpoint presentation on the CNHC (1087 kb)  gives a description of the background to the creation of a Federal Regulator, and describes the advisory bodies that will suport the council.