Chichester Chiropractors, West Sussex, UK. A well known and respected Chiropratic Clinic able to treat the causes of back pain associated with many of the problems of modern living.

General Chiropractic Council

On June 14th 2001 chiropractic became a legally registered occupation. The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) is the UK-wide statutory body which protects the public by regulating chiropractors, promoting high standards and ensuring that the contribution chiropractors make to the health of the nation is understood by all. It is now a criminal offence for anyone to practice chiropractic, or to call themselves a chiropractor, if they are not on the register. This means that the public will know that anyone calling themselves a chiropractor will have been properly trained and will have achieved a safe standard of competency.

The GCC has its own website which includes a copy of the register which is updated at frequent intervals. In its present form this is slightly misleading because it only lists the chiropractor's main practice address. If anyone practices in more than one clinic, then you will not find all the addresses listed. That is because it is a register of chiropractors and not a register of clinics. That means if you are looking for a registered chiropractor near to your home then you may not find that information on the GCC website. You will need to find your nearest clinic by other means first and then check the name of the chiropractor working there on the alphabetical list of the register.

The GCC can be found at www.gcc-uk.org

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

CPD is the process whereby chiropractors take responsibility for their own learning and development and apply it to improve their practice in the interest of patients and the development of the profession. The learning needs that individuals identify will be in the context of their own development and the practice / organisation in which they work. Individuals will have some long term learning and development interests and some short term, more reactive needs which result from work with patients and / or changes in professional practice.

The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) are about to institute a process of mandatory continuous education for all chiropractors. This is to ensure that all practicing chiropractors will be up-to-date with developments in chiropractic and hence better placed to offer their patients the best possible care. They will be able to demonstrate their commitment to maintaining and extending their knowledge and competence in the interests of patients. CPD will be introduced as soon as the government agrees to the necessary Statutory Instrument (the Rules) and the requirements will come into force in 2004. In order to renew their registration each year chiropractors will be required to fulfill their CPD requirements each year thereafter.