Who is watching your back?

General Chiropractic Council

Chiropractic is a fast-growing independent health care profession in the United Kingdom and it is regulated by the General Chiropractic Council (GCC).

The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) is a UK-wide statutory body with regulatory powers, established by the Chiropractors Act 1994. We have four main duties:

• To protect the public by establishing and operating a scheme of statutory regulation for chiropractors, similar to the arrangements that cover other health professionals
• To set the standards of chiropractic education, conduct and practice to ensure the development of the profession of chiropractic, using a model of continuous improvement in practice
• To promote the profession of chiropractic so that its contribution to the health of the nation is understood and recognised.

Since 14 June 2001 the title of ‘chiropractor’ has been protected by law and it is a criminal offence for anyone to describe themselves as any sort of chiropractor without being registered with the GCC.

The GCC keep a register of chiropractors who meet their standards for training, professional skills, behaviour and health. It is against the law for someone who is not registered with the GCC to make a member of the public think that they are a chiropractor.

Note: The GCC is the final step if a patient has a complaint within Glasgow Chiropractic. Part of their function is to investigate allegations of unacceptable professional conduct and where they think there is a case to answer to then take disciplinary proceedings against the chiropractor. In that case formal proceedings will be conducted in a similar setting to a court of law. The Professional Conduct Committee of the GCC will hear evidence on oath before making a finding and deciding on the correct disposal of the complaint.

Please be aware that the GCC do not have the power to award any form of compensation to a patient.