The BCA has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper MP, following her recent appointment. We called for greater clarity on the government's position regarding Allied Health Profession (AHP) recognition for chiropractic.
The letter in full.
We are jointly writing as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) to congratulate you on your appointment as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and to offer the Association’s support as you take forward the Government’s priorities for the NHS and wider healthcare system.
The BCA wrote to your predecessor regarding the continued exclusion of chiropractic from the list of Allied Health Professionals in England. Following the change in Government, we are writing to ask that the new ministerial team clarify the criteria and decision-making process for AHP recognition and either yourself or a relevant AHP or DHSC lead, agree to a meeting to discuss how the regulated chiropractic workforce could better support NHS musculoskeletal services.
The lack of clarity is increasingly difficult to justify, particularly given the scale of unmet need in musculoskeletal care and the Government’s wider health priorities. As of May 2026, almost 450,000 people were waiting for community musculoskeletal services in England. Many face prolonged waits while experiencing worsening pain, reduced mobility, declining mental wellbeing and difficulty remaining in or returning to work. The policy direction towards earlier intervention, prevention and more care delivered in community settings makes it particularly important that all appropriately regulated workforce capacity is considered.
There is now a significant and timely opportunity to strengthen musculoskeletal (MSK) care delivery, expand community capacity, and support the NHS in meeting pressing access and productivity challenges. We would therefore like to request a meeting with the relevant individuals within the Health and Social Care team to discuss the missed opportunity to utilise spare capacity in the chiropractic profession. With the MSK waiting times in England alone up by 80,000 in the last 12 months, more must be done.
There are almost 4,000 practising chiropractors in the UK, all of whom are statutorily regulated by the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). The GCC was established by Parliament under the Chiropractors Act 1994 and is responsible for setting standards of education, training, conduct and performance, maintaining the statutory register and taking fitness-to-practise action where necessary. Registration is mandatory for anyone wishing to practise as a chiropractor in the UK.
Alongside this statutory framework, the profession is supported by the Royal College of Chiropractors (RCC), established in 1999 as an academic and professional body to promote high standards of clinical practice, research and postgraduate education. The RCC supports evidence-based practice and quality improvement across the profession, reinforcing consistency and clinical assurance in patient care.
In regulatory, educational and clinical terms, chiropractic is closely comparable to physiotherapy and osteopathy, both of which are recognised Allied Health Professions; yet chiropractic remains excluded from AHP status despite sharing similar statutory regulation, scope of MSK practice and workforce contribution.
Despite this well-established infrastructure, the absence of AHP recognition continues to limit the extent to which chiropractors can be systematically integrated into NHS pathways. Indeed, it remains unclear to our sector what the pathway to achieving AHP status is, and whether decisions on awarding AHP are grounded in a competency framework. The BCA is not arguing that chiropractic should replace existing NHS professions. Rather, we believe regulated chiropractors should be recognised as part of the wider MSK workforce and considered as an additional source of capacity where this can support patients and the health system.
The BCA-commissioned health economics analysis undertaken by York Health Economics Consortium estimated that fuller integration of chiropractic into NHS musculoskeletal pathways could provide capacity for more than 100,000 additional patients each year and generate approximately £400 million annually in productivity benefits through faster return-to-work outcomes. This strengthens the case for making better use of the existing regulated chiropractic workforce as an additional source of community-based MSK capacity.
Our previous correspondence sought clarity on the Government’s policy position and requested a meeting with ministers or senior officials. We would therefore be grateful if the new ministerial team could:
- Confirm the current policy position on AHP recognition for chiropractors
- Explain the criteria, evidence requirements and decision-making process that apply
- Facilitate engagement with the relevant DHSC officials, workforce leads and the AHP Board
- Arrange a meeting with you or senior officials to discuss how chiropractic could be better utilised in support of NHS and Government objectives.
The BCA stands ready to work constructively with the Department of Health and Social Care to develop an evidence-based and system-aligned approach that protects patients, expands access to care and makes better use of the regulated healthcare workforce.
Yours sincerely,
Tim Button and Cait Allen President and Chief Executive Officer of the British Chiropractic Association