Serenity Services Massage Links - Aromatherapy Links

NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Therapists

I have been accepted by the NHS Trusts Association to treat NHS patients, The NHS Trust
Association is the leading professional association for primary care in the UK.

IF YOU ARE SEEKING TREATMENT

If you feel that complementary or alternative therapy would benefit you and you wish to have a treatment through the NHS then please ask your GP to refer you. Although the paper form of the Directory is only made available to GP's and other health professionals The NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Therapists is available online click here. Choose the type of therapy you want (massage is under 'Bodywork') and the location then click 'search'. Next you will have to sign in, type Guest for the uername and enter for the password and it will give you a list of therapists in your chosen area. I am the only one listed in the local area (i.e. Redhill / Reigate).

Though the availability of complementary therapy via the NHS is now beginning to make headlines in the newspapers, it does not necessarily mean that all doctors are willing to prescribe complementary medicine, at the end of the day the decision to prescribe is still a matter for clinical judgement of your GP, and even if they are willing, not all Primary Care Trusts presently have funding provisions dedicated to complementary medicine. In some cases, this is simply a question of lack of resources and, in other cases, it is a question of an unwillingness on the part of the Primary Care Trust to provide complementary therapy, but its always worth asking your GP.

Any member of the public who is encountering difficulties in obtaining complementary therapy via the NHS and who would like to bring this problem to the notice of their Primary Care Trust, should write to the Patient Advice and Liaison Co-ordinator (PAL) at the Primary Care Trust. (Click here for a letter template).

The role of PAL is a new one. The PALs have been created to act as an interface between the public and the boards of the Primary Care Trusts responsible for healthcare in their area. If enough members of the public write on the subject, this will help the Boards of the Trusts become more aware of the true level of demand and may lead to funding being made available where hitherto it was not.

It would also be appropriate for members of the public to write to the lay member of their local Primary Care Trust. The lay member is an ordinary member of the public, whose purpose is to represent the local population.

Information on your local Primary Care Trust is available via your GP or many Trusts also have websites (click here).

HAVE YOU BEEN TREATED BY COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIST THROUGH THE NHS?

Whilst you can write to the PAL to complain it is also important to write with your feedback if you have had a good experience from complementary therapies and especially if you feel that your health has been improved by the treatment, this may persuade the NHS to increase funding for complementary and alternative therapy in future years. The address is: NHS Directory Administration Department,
NHS Trusts Association, PO Box 45734, London, SW16 5WJ Tel: 020 8835 7009 or e-mail us admin@nhsdirectory.org or fax your letter to 020 8835 7057 website: http://www.nhsta.org.uk/