Integrated Healthcare Partnership Ltd

Complementary therapists. Please take a moment to fill in the survey. Our industry should be leading the way in providing sustainable, environmentally friendly healthcare.

As part of its work for Sustainable Healthcare Day on 6th April, the Integrated Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) has put together a survey to find out how sustainable and environmentally friendly the complementary, traditional and natural healthcare sector is. Patients are increasingly turning to healthcare options which are sustainable to both the environment and their own bodies. Please take 5 minutes of your time to fill in the survey, so we can get a picture of your practice and which materials you use. This will help us find ways to improve the sustainability of our sector further, and enable us to make a stronger case to the Government for more widespread availability of complementary, traditional and natural healthcare services.

https://s.surveyplanet.com/ay6niajy

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights, are engaging with organisations in the human health and therapy sector, in order to help them comply with their legal obligations.

They will soon be writing to limited companies in the human health and therapy sector to remind them that they may have a legal responsibility to register with the ICO and pay the data protection fee. Therapists and practitioners who run their own business, but aren’t limited companies, may not receive one of these letters, but may also need to be registered with them. We are therefore urging therapists and practitioners to check their legal responsibilities regarding data protection.

If you click on the following link you can find out more about data protection in the human health and social care sector. Take the quick self-assessment to see whether you need to register.
https://ico.org.uk/hhs

SME web hub – advice for all small organisations Advice and guidance for all small organisations, including small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), small businesses, sole traders, small charities, groups and clubs, and small start-ups.

Self-employed people in Scotland who have lost income due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, but have not been self-employed for a sufficient period of time, are eligible for a new package of support from the Scottish Government.

Complementary, traditional and natural healthcare therapists and practitioners who meet the criteria will qualify for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme. The services which have been identified as qualifying by the Scottish Government are the following: Acupuncture, Acupressure, Alexander Technique, Bowen therapy or Bowenwork, Craniosacral Therapy, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Meditation, Reflexology, Kinesiology and Shiatsu.

The Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund (NSEHF) and Mobile & Home-Based Close Contact Services Funds, together worth £60m, opened for applications on Tuesday 16 February. Grants of up to £4k are available for applicants who meet the qualifying criteria. All applications received before the closing date of 16 March 2021 will be processed, and will receive funding if eligible.

Detailed guidance on who is eligible, how to apply, and what details you will need to provide is available on the following links.

https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/funding/newly-self-employed-hardship-fund

https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/service/funding/mobile-and-home-based-close-contact-services-fund

Please do share with any friends and colleagues in Scotland who may be eligible for this grant. It could really help during these difficult times. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 16 March.

Mobile And Home Based Close Contact Services Fund Find out more about this Scottish Government fund for those who run a close contact business on a mobile basis or from home.

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has launched a consultation into the future shape of the Accredited Registers programme.

https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/docs/default-source/publications/consultation-response/our-consultation/2020-accredited-registers-consultation/authority-consultation-on-the-future-shape-of-the-accredited-registers-programme.pdf?sfvrsn=69067620_13

Since 2012, when the PSA was given new powers and duties to accredit voluntary registers, any organisation which meets the criteria has been able to gain accreditation. The proposals within the consultation change many of the original design principles of the programme.

Some of the changes may include a requirement of effectiveness of therapies and treatments, which would be judged by the PSA, setting educational standards, the possible creation of a single register, and a financial commitment based on number of members.

The PSA would also have the discretion on what is included in the programme based on criteria such as “the occupation or role is used or introduced within the NHS or equivalent other public or independent healthcare sector body” and if “Government and/or other public authorities support its inclusion in the programme”.

The proposals within this consultation could have implications across the whole field of complementary, traditional and natural healthcare, and we would encourage as many people as possible to submit a response, to ensure that the PSA receives the views of a wide variety of stakeholders.

You can respond to this consultation paper by following the link above.

The deadline for submissions is 18th February 2021.

www.professionalstandards.org.uk