CNHC, is it worth it?

Alas no replies. What has happened to HP? There would of been at least 10 replies on a topic such as this a few years ago!

I'm not with CNHC, nor will I join. I can see no benefits.

Just exactly what protection do they offer anyone - client or therapist?

I accept referrals from local consultants and GP's (as an independent lymphoedema therapist). Mainly my clientele arrive through word of mouth. I have PI insurance, and am a member of one professional association. I have dropped other association memberships since first training (38 years!).

I have two GP friends who do not refer any patients for complementary therapies - they only know about the CNHC because I told them! Their practices do not refer to complementary therapies either - now they are in charge of their own budgets, they simply can't.

(And yes - agree - what's going on with HP???? I call in everyday, but sometimes all I find is tumbleweed.........!)

Thanks Jabba for your reply.

Well I can't be ar$ed to renew my registration. Going to have edit my website this week to get rid of the CNHC logo, and luckily I have ran out of business cards and will reorder with a new version 🙂

Hi RP

Not a CNHC member but wanted to say hi and agree it's really quiet now. I pop in now and again but the therapy forums are slow, maybe because fewer people are going into the profession?

Cheers Jinx.

Tis a bit quiet on 'ere. There isn't as many schools as there used to be pre the recession. Government cut backs to state-funded colleges doesn't help. As a friend commented to me the other day that a college therapy course that would of been less than £200, and lower with concessions, is now typically over a £1000.

I will definitely not be renewing my registration, further I asked for my registration to be cancelled in protest that the new profession specific board was not elected, simply instated because there were not enough applicants for the role, and was told that there is no policy in place to remove me from the register.
I will be submitting a strongly worded letter in response to any request to renew, we are now in the situation where one person can train therapists, assess them, represent them, issue their qualifications and verify them for CNHC registration with no form of external validation or assessment. I also distance myself from many of the recommendations of training I once made on this forum. I remain passionate about raising standards but think I may have been naive and too trusting in believing manipulated information that was given to me.
Organisations that historically incorrectly verified certain qualifications do not have to meet the new stringent entry criteria that any prospective new verifying bodies are subjected to, and those who were wrongly verified remain on the register.

This is my personal view and is in no way representative of the Sports Therapy Association view which respects its members opinions on accredited registers

I also tried to deactivate my account on HP so that any recommendations I once made did not have my name attached but have been unable to do so, is there a way I can do this please ?

Hi BGFL - I stood back from the whole CNHC thing from the beginning - when it manifested from it's original form.

If you do leave HP - all the best - thank you for your years of insightfulness on these pages. I pop in regularly, just for a look around, but it's not as active as it used to be, so I rarely stay long.

Same here Big Gaz, to have people with inside industry knowledge and practitioner experience enhanced HP as a forum is always welcomed and a damn sight more interesting than the best place to purchase fluffy towels.

I wouldn't be too concerned if you felt that any information that you may have giving wasn't quite on the mark. I can tell by your writing that you gave it with all honesty. Any case, it's up to students to do their only research and decide what course/s they wish to do, which is their reasonability!

A friend on here wanted to close his Hp account and was told he couldn't. So unless the rules have been changed, you might as well come in and contribute occasionally 😉

I also tried to deactivate my account on HP so that any recommendations I once made did not have my name attached but have been unable to do so, is there a way I can do this please ?

I don't think there's a way for HP members to deactivate their own account.
As a moderator I could ban your account, but that won't change your name being against your posts that are on the public forums. Also, unlike spammers, we cannot go trying to remove the thousand plus posts you have. Not only would it be a lot of work, but it would a) mess up the threads that you took part in and b) not remove any details from anyone who quoted your messages and c) your posts would still be archived and visible via many search engines or those dodgy sites that have ripped the content from HP for their own seedy purposes.

The thing about posting on public forums is that you have to accept, once you post it, it's likely to be there for life (or as good as).

If you want to change your username to something non-identifiable, we can do that for you (just PM me), but likewise it won't remove it from quoted posts or other places on the internet.

I will definitely not be renewing my registration, further I asked for my registration to be cancelled in protest that the new profession specific board was not elected, simply instated because there were not enough applicants for the role, and was told that there is no policy in place to remove me from the register.
I will be submitting a strongly worded letter in response to any request to renew, we are now in the situation where one person can train therapists, assess them, represent them, issue their qualifications and verify them for CNHC registration with no form of external validation or assessment. I also distance myself from many of the recommendations of training I once made on this forum. I remain passionate about raising standards but think I may have been naive and too trusting in believing manipulated information that was given to me.
Organisations that historically incorrectly verified certain qualifications do not have to meet the new stringent entry criteria that any prospective new verifying bodies are subjected to, and those who were wrongly verified remain on the register.

This is my personal view and is in no way representative of the Sports Therapy Association view which respects its members opinions on accredited registers

I also tried to deactivate my account on HP so that any recommendations I once made did not have my name attached but have been unable to do so, is there a way I can do this please ?

I don't post on this forum often as what's on here rarely applies to shamanism, but I read it from time to time. I want to say that everything you write suggests to me honesty, integrity and knowledge of what you are writing about. This impression is backed up by what you write here. I understand that you don't want previous posts that you no longer agree with being viewed, but I do think it would be a loss not to have you posting your present opinions.

thank you for your messages, Ive obviously been away from HP for a while, had to undergo a couple of operations recently and prior to that found myself in a bit of a downward spiral after deciding to leave a place of work and having to deal with lots of fallout. as they say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and I certainly wont be as naive or trusting again

I'm happy to give advice to those in the industry who need unbiased support and wish you all well

As I mentioned previously I need to re-print new business cards and without CNHC written on it.

As I was tweaking the wording, a thought came to me that even though the CNHC is an umbrella for many therapy disciplines, how it is set up is divisive to the whole notion of holistic/naturopathic/traditional medicine and/or therapy. It divides up the therapies and you have to do yearly x-amount of CPD for each therapy.

From my own practitioner prospective and in conversation with colleagues, many therapists are quite eclectic and treat on an individual basis. But there's often a missing component to the practice; lack of philosophy or indeed life philosophy. You see in-depth philosophy in Naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Ayurveda for example.

Yet Complementary & Alternative Healthcare/Medicine/Therapy in the UK very sub divided up, which the CNHC was meant to unite (or did I misunderstand something and have been living in wishful thinking) but seems more of an umbrella group of a collection of therapeutic techniques.

So as I delete the words "CNHC Registered" off my business card and replace it with "Member of the Complementary Therapists Association", I'm realising that having a membership to an association with a looser CPD requirement is better than a tighter register. It least I can be myself more, and follow any CPD that I feel fits into my requirements and eclectic interests, and not some tick box exercise.

Of course I don't even need to be a CThA member but it suits me to do so. It could equally be a member the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT).

I'm just waffling as its helping me with the final business card design. But it may help others contemplate what they wish for their holistic career/vocation 🙂

Reading this evening the April 2015 CNHC newsletter email.

It said:
"New personalised CNHC leaflets

If you are CNHC registered you can add your details to our new CNHC information leaflets and get them printed locally. You can then use them to promote yourself as a CNHC registered practitioner.

You can download the leaflets and all other CNHC resources such as a template press release, letters to take to GP surgeries, posters, and appointment cards...."

Lovely, the CNHC therapy descriptions are generalised and banal to be compliant to the Advertising Standards Authority. THIS is another aspect of the general trend in dumbing down of CAM therapies.

So the CNHC, a B_S_ organisation that takes advice from the ASA, another B_S_ organisation. Meanwhile the CNHC pays many 1000's of £ to another B_S_ organisation, the PSA (Professional Standards Authority) for the privilege of operating a government-recognised voluntary self-regulatory register.

Also hands up who has gone to their local GP surgeries, had their posters and leaflets stuck up, and got referrals from the NHS?

CALLING ALL SPORTS THERAPISTS

PLEASE SHARE THIS

Just to end any potential confusion here, there is an inference by one of the verifying organisations for the CNHC accredited register, that they are the only organisation able to verify sports therapists to enter the accredited register.

This is not the case, there are a number of verifying organisation who can carry out this role.

You do not NEED to register, it is a "voluntary" accredited register

Once you have been verified onto the register YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAINTAIN membership of this or any other organisation or members association.

You cannot be removed from the register for failing to maintain PA membership

there is also an inference that this verifying organisation is sports therapy specific, yet its website offers;

" membership is open to the following:

Sports Massage Practitioners (Level 3 and above for full membership)
Sport & Remedial Massage Therapists (Level 4 & 5 for full membership)
Sports Therapists (Level 4 and above for full membership)
Sports Massage Therapy qualfications are not accepted for Sports Therapy level membership, please join as a Sports Massage member.
Sports Rehabilitators (Level 4 and above for full membership)
Physiotherapists (either working in sport or with post grad sport qualifications) (BSc for full membership)
Sports Podiatrists (BSc for full membership)
Equine Sports Therapists (Level 4 and above for full membership).
Advanced Clinical Massage & Sports Massage Therapists (for holders of Jing Level 6 qualification)""

I am personally writing to CNHC this afternoon to complain about this and other recent communications

Back of the net, RP!

Have any of your clients ever queried what organisations you support? Mine could care less. I belong to one, now (a VRO for 20+ years) having left a few over the years, who quite frankly just wanted my dosh for nil return. The one I belong to is not covered by CNHC because all four forms of training that it recognises are international qualifications (Europe/Australia) and there is no UK standard - however, the training is intense and gold standard. No clients have ever asked about my training (although a descriptor is on all my leaflets) but what they appreciate are the results of the treatment. I have to review my technique every two years, and am insured to the back teeth.

That's another rant....... professional indemnity.......

Back of the net, RP!

Have any of your clients ever queried what organisations you support? Mine could care less. I belong to one, now (a VRO for 20+ years) having left a few over the years, who quite frankly just wanted my dosh for nil return. The one I belong to is not covered by CNHC because all four forms of training that it recognises are international qualifications (Europe/Australia) and there is no UK standard - however, the training is intense and gold standard. No clients have ever asked about my training (although a descriptor is on all my leaflets) but what they appreciate are the results of the treatment. I have to review my technique every two years, and am insured to the back teeth.

That's another rant....... professional indemnity.......

Hi JTH

I can't even remember the last time someone asked me what professional membership I have or not have.

The main question () people regularly ask me is where did I study. Which happens to be the most important question. That's a hard one for me to say in a quick sound bite as I studied at so many places 🙂 I just refer them to my website as it's all on there. Verbally I just to say: I've trained in various schools in the UK, India, Thailand and Indonesia, and that seems to do the job.

I haven't been asked if I was ITEC qualified (ha, only got one of them in IHM) or a member of the AoR (for example) for donkey years.

Once in a blue moon when I have been asked about insurance reimbursal, I just say: can't guarantee that but I will issue you a receipt for your payment and will write down my PA membership number, and it's then between you and your provider to sort out!

Funny I have mentioned GP/NHS referrals and the CNHC, and I just got via email today. Make of it what you will!

General Medical Council (GMC) agrees to amend referrals guidance to doctors
General Medical Council (GMC) agrees to amend referrals guidance to doctors
Following a suggestion made by CNHC, the General Medical Council (GMC) has agreed to amend its guidance to doctors. It is now advising that when referring to a practitioner who is not a doctor or other statutorily regulated health professional doctors must:
‘...... be satisfied that systems are in place to assure the safety and quality of care provided – for example, the services have been commissioned through an NHS commissioning process or the practitioner is on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.”
Doctors can now refer patients wanting complementary therapies to CNHC registrants as they are all on CNHC's Accredited Register. Although this does not mean that NHS funding will automatically follow.
If you are CNHC registered you can download a letter to take to your GP practice along with our CNHC leaflet and poster by logging into <a class="go2wpf-bbcode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="MyCNHC">MyCNHC. You can see the full wording of the GMC guidance here at section 8: [url]GMC Delegation and Referral Guidance[/url]

They may refer - but will they fund?? That, I think, is the bigger question.

They may refer - but will they fund?? That, I think, is the bigger question.

As it says: "Doctors can now refer patients wanting complementary therapies to CNHC registrants as they are all on CNHC's Accredited Register. Although this does not mean that NHS funding will automatically follow."

I believe all this is in the betterment of CAM therapies and the magical funding to follow when I see it.

But any case the CNHC are implying for PSA rubber stamped CAM therapies, a GP which have to refer to the CNHC register, but they are not the only CAM organisation to be recognised by the PSA: ie Federation of Holistic Therapists and other single therapy organisations.

As the GMC guidelines says:
"6. Referral is when you arrange for another practitioner to provide a service that falls outside your professional competence.
7. Usually you will refer to another doctor or healthcare professional registered with a statutory regulatory body.
8. Where this is not the case, you must be satisfied that systems are in place to assure the safety and quality of care provided – for example, the services have been commissioned through an NHS commissioning process or the practitioner is on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority."