Crackdown on complementary medicine
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Complementary and alternative medicines are to be regulated more tightly under government plans announced today.
Extra funding of £900,000 has been made available to develop new regulatory systems for alternative health care providers.
The Prince of Wales's Foundation for Integrated Health will oversee the regulatory development process. To start with, this will be a voluntary self-regulation scheme and is likely to cover practitioners of homeopathy, aromatherapy and reflexology.
Proposals for a separate regulatory scheme covering more invasive practise, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, are to be published in early 2005.
In addition, there is to be a new Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee under the auspices of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
This will look at both unlicensed and registered products and provide safety and quality advice to the government and the MHRA. A consultation on its remit and responsibilities will run in early 2005.
Announcing the new drive, health minister Lord Warner said: "Thousands of people use complementary healthcare and it's important that patients are confident that these services are provided by qualified and competent practitioners.
"This extra funding will mean the Foundation can continue its work of supporting practitioners in self-regulation. This work, combined with a brand new committee of experts to advise on the safety and quality of herbal remedies, is another step towards improving the safety and quality standards in complementary medicine."
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