British Acupuncture Council

03/09/2026

🎓 You don’t need to be an acupuncturist to help shape the future of acupuncture education.

What should high-quality education for future healthcare professionals look like? And how do we make sure standards are robust, fair and – importantly – reflect the needs of the people those professionals will ultimately care for?

We’re looking for three people to bring their experience, expertise and perspective to our Education and Accreditation Committees – and two of these opportunities are open to people outside the acupuncture profession.

🔹 Education Committee – BAcC Member
For a current member who would like to bring their professional perspective to acupuncture education, standards and accreditation.

🔹 Accreditation Committee – education professional
For someone with a professional background in education and experience of accreditation activity and/or health.

🔹 Accreditation Committee – patient/service-user representative

This one really could be for anyone with an interest in helping to ensure the patient and public voice is part of how acupuncture education is assessed. You don’t need a background in acupuncture, education or accreditation.

Perhaps one of these sounds like you. Or perhaps you’ve just thought “I know someone who would be brilliant at that.”

We’d love you to apply – or tag and share this with someone who might bring a valuable perspective to the table.

📅 Three meetings per year
💻 Mostly online, with one in-person meeting annually
💷 Remuneration provided
📆 Closing date: 10am, 21 September 2026

👉 Read more about the roles, what we’re looking for and how to apply: https://acupuncture.org.uk/news/join-our-education-and-accreditation-committees/

02/09/2026

👀 Look before you book!

Another great video highlighting one simple check we should all make before choosing a healthcare practitioner or therapist – look for the PSA Quality Mark.

The mark helps you know that the practitioner you’re choosing is on a register independently accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, with standards in place to protect the public.

And that includes acupuncture. 📍

When you choose a British Acupuncture Council Member, you’re choosing an acupuncturist with a minimum of degree-level training, who is committed to high professional standards, safe practice and our codes of professional conduct.

So, whoever you’re putting your health in the hands of, take a moment to look before you book. 👀

To find your local acupuncturist - https://acupuncture.org.uk/find-an-acupuncturist/

02/09/2026

🩸 Great news for acupuncture patients in Scotland!

A huge thank you to Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - SNBTS for rolling out this change so quickly. 👏

If you’re in Scotland and have had acupuncture with a British Acupuncture Council Member, you can now give blood without the previous four-month wait. 🎉

This is a very recent change to UK blood donation guidance and is currently being rolled out by the individual blood services across the UK.

So, if you’re outside Scotland, please check our latest update for information and contact details for the blood service in your nation before heading off to donate.

🩸 A small rule change that could open the door to many more blood donations – and ultimately help save lives.

👉 Read the latest update: https://acupuncture.org.uk/news/uk-blood-supplies-set-for-a-vital-boost-as-donation-rules-are-updated-for-acupuncture-patients/https://acupuncture.org.uk/news/uk-blood-supplies-set-for-a-vital-boost-as-donation-rules-are-updated-for-acupuncture-patients/

Did you know, blood donation rules around acupuncture have changed today?

If you've had acupuncture through the NHS, from a registered healthcare professional, or from a UK practitioner who meets local licensing requirements, you can usually donate blood straight away.

If your practitioner doesn't fall into one of these categories, you'll need to wait four months before donating.

If you're unsure whether you're eligible to donate, please give our Donor Care Line a call (0345 90 90 999). Our team will be happy to help, and we hope to see you at a donation session soon.

Make an appointment to give blood at scotblood.co.uk

02/09/2026

📣 Advocacy in action

What does it take to create meaningful change for acupuncture in the UK?

From the recent change to blood donation rules, to work on VAT, licensing, private health insurance and greater integration into healthcare – there’s a lot happening behind the scenes.

In the first of our Membership in Action 2026 series, BAcC CEO Alex Jacobs shares where progress is being made, the challenges we’re tackling and where we’re heading next.

Because strengthening the future of acupuncture takes sustained work, collaboration – and sometimes a lot of persistence.

👉 Read Advocacy in Action - https://acupuncture.org.uk/news/bacc-advocacy-in-action-part-of-the-bacc-membership-in-action-2026-series/

28/08/2026

🌿 “Chinese medicine also changes all the time, and that's what I call a living tradition.”

How can something with thousands of years of history still be alive, relevant and evolving today?

Professor Volker Scheid puts it beautifully:

💬 “How does it work? That something is 2,000 years old and is alive.

Alive means it can change.

It can change, and yet, it's the same in a certain way. It's like a stream, a river. A river also starts somewhere and goes somewhere.

Chinese medicine also changes all the time, and that's what I call a living tradition.”

Volker features in a fascinating China Today mini-series exploring non-native practitioners and scholars and the impact they have made on Chinese medicine in China.

You may also recognise him! Volker was our keynote speaker at this year's UK Conference of Chinese Medicine – and in the final video, there's another familiar BAcC face as our Governing Board Chair, Felicity Moir MBAcC, talks about their time working together at the University of Westminster.

Four short films, one fascinating look at Chinese medicine as a truly living tradition. 🌱

🎥 Watch videos 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa2KwebVLSP8

15/08/2026

If you study Chinese medicine properly, it is going to change the way you feel about everything!

"What comes through your door you may never see in a book, and what you see in a book may never come through your door." – Paul Johnson FBAcC

Every now and then a conversation comes along that captures what it's really like to become an acupuncturist.

In this beautifully honest episode of Cultivating Tradition, experienced practitioner and teacher Paul Johnson reflects on more than 25 years in practice, why studying acupuncture is one of the hardest things you'll ever do, why it's also one of the most rewarding, and how the journey never really ends.

Paul's reflections beautifully illustrate why becoming an acupuncturist is about so much more than learning theory. It takes time to absorb the medicine, develop practical skills, refine your touch, and learn to understand the person in front of you—not just the condition described in a textbook.

That depth of learning is why accredited, degree-level acupuncture courses are designed to give students the time, support and clinical experience needed to grow into safe, confident and compassionate practitioners.

It's a journey that simply can't be rushed. Whether you're thinking about studying acupuncture, are just beginning your training, or have been in practice for decades, this is a conversation that will leave you inspired.

🎧 Watch or listen now.

Considering studying acupuncture?
The British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB) accredits degree-level acupuncture courses that meet the highest standards of education and professional training in the UK. Explore accredited colleges and discover where your own journey could begin.

14/08/2026

🎓 A new chapter for CICM

Congratulations to the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (CICM) on completing its merger with Health Sciences University (HSU). 👏
It marks an exciting new chapter in CICM’s long history of acupuncture education, while retaining the distinctive teaching and traditions it has developed over many years.

Across BAAB-accredited education, acupuncture is taught in a variety of settings and through different traditions and approaches. That diversity is one of its strengths.

What brings our degree-level accredited courses together is the depth, quality and standards of their acupuncture education — giving students the knowledge, practical skills and clinical experience they need to enter the profession.
We wish CICM and HSU every success for this next chapter. 💚

👉 Read the full story. https://acupuncture.org.uk/news/bacc-welcomes-cicm-hsu-merger/

11/08/2026

🩸 Great news for blood donors and acupuncture patients!

People receiving acupuncture from appropriately qualified practitioners will no longer need to wait four months before donating blood.

For years, many people felt they had to choose between continuing the acupuncture treatment that was helping them and giving blood to help others. Thanks to updated blood donation guidance, that unnecessary barrier is being removed.

As Angus Wells, Consultant in Donor Medicine for NHS Blood and Transplant, puts it:

"This means even more people can now give blood and save lives."

It's good news for patients.It's good news for blood donation.And it's good news for public health.

The updated guidance will be introduced across the UK by each of the four nations, so implementation dates may vary depending on where you live. As Angus Wells also reminds us:

"Criteria can change so we encourage people to check their eligibility before donating at www.blood.co.uk or call our donor helpline on 0300 123 23 23."

Read more about what this change means, why it happened, and what it means for future blood donors ⬇️

05/08/2026

The BAcC has been informed that big changes to blood donation deferral rules are set to be announced next week

Thank you to all of the members, committees and staff who have tirelessly worked on this issue over the years

You made this happen

Check your member email for details of how you can help amplify this important story

Keep an eye on BAcC socials as more details are released next week 😍

29/07/2026

🌿 Thinking about becoming an acupuncturist?

Choosing where you study is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. That’s why choosing a course that's accredited matters.

BAAB accreditation ensures courses meet high standards of education, giving you the assurance that you'll be ready to practice - with confidence and the clinical judgement needed to support patients safely and effectively.

Whether you’re just starting to explore acupuncture as a career or comparing your study options, the BAAB website is the place to begin. Our website has a fresh new look, making it easier to explore accredited acupuncture colleges across the UK and understand what accreditation means.

The BAAB is the ONLY acupuncture accreditation body in the UK and for over 30 years they have been supporting generations of acupuncture practitioners to have the most rigorous training possible in the UK.

🔗 Visit www.baab.org.uk

Know someone who’s thinking about becoming an acupuncturist? Share this post and help them start their journey with confidence. 🌱