Accessing complementary therapies

Hugh MacPherson, Senior Research Fellow, who leads the Complementary and Alternative Medicine research group, took the opportunity recently to talk to Prince Charles about the evidence base for integrated medicine.

Prince Charles was hosting a conference at St James Palace in his role as the President of the Foundation for Integrated Health, an organisation committed to widening access to complementary and alternative therapies where they have been shown to be safe and effective.

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Hugh MacPherson meeting
Prince Charles at St. James Palace.

At the recent launch of the GP Advisory Group of the Foundation for Integrated Health, Dr MacPherson presented a paper entitled “Developing the evident for integrated medicine.” He points out that the current provision of complementary medicine within the NHS is minimal, with 90% of people accessing these therapies outside the NHS. However surveys show that three quarters of the population would choose complementary medicine if it were available on the NHS. This situation could change, as the NHS is undergoing a fundamental shift through 2006 with the introduction of practice-based commissioning, which will provide new opportunities for the provision of complementary medicine.

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