All members of the British Acupuncture Council are bound by its Codes of Professional Conduct and Safe Practice. The current published texts of these Codes are available from the Downloads section of this site. In setting up the complaints procedure other medically orientated professional bodies were consulted, and legal advice was sought. The structure is based around two committees, a preliminary and a conduct committee, containing lay members as well as experienced professional acupuncturists. In addition, the health committee considers concerns about the practitioners' health and fitness to practice safely.

Any complaints are directed through the office where the Ethics Secretary is able to give information on the formal complaints procedure, and collect some preliminary information. More complex cases may take some time to be resolved due to the need for thorough, impartial investigation and review.

The ethics committees are variously empowered to admonish members or to impose conditions of practice. In more serious cases, members may be removed from the Register. This is the established method by which professional bodies are enabled to ensure best practice and to protect members of the public from possible malpractice.

All enquiries should be addressed to the Ethics Secretary by phone, fax or e-mail:

For enquiries contact: ethics@acupuncture.org.uk