British Acupuncture Federation
Welcome to the Largest Independent acupuncture federation in the UK
About BAF
The British Acupuncture Federation is the largest and fastest growing Independent acupuncture group in the UK. In line with the recommendations of the House of Lords’
Complementary & Alternative Medicine report back in 2000, the British Acupuncture Federation was formed as the first collaborative umbrella organisation of leading professional acupuncture associations within the UK, that represent both Western medical and other traditional styles of acupuncture practice. This enables the public to make an informed choice as to the most appropriate type of treatment.
Each organisation has a board representative providing a voice for their members. The CEO, chair and lay person does not have a vote.
BAF is setup as a limited company by 'guarantee' and so unlike a normal company with directors and shares instead its members guarantee and control the company. The company also has a designated director who merely acts as an officer for the administration of companies house duties.
We are the largest national group of independent acupuncture organisations in the UK. Access to BAF is open to associations as well as groups/organisations who all follow and support our ethics, safe codes of practice. We who work together as well as with third party groups to protect and support members and forward acupuncture in the UK. Practitioners who are members of one of the BAF organisations automatically also become BAF registrants.
Practitioners can benefit from a host of discounts, trade schemes and partnerships allowing them to use and access a wide range of clinical and support services.
Associations and other organisations can join directly by completing our form.
What We’ve Accomplished
- Our practitioners were open during all lockdowns.
- Released ground-breaking Industry Standard Guidelines for treating patients under 18 years of age.
- Gained London Licensing Exemption.
- Over 15 member benefit partnerships.
- Accepted by over 14 healthcare organisations.
- Created a totally new type of sharps disposal service offering no contract sharps collection.
Full Member Organisations
Full Member Organisations
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The Acupuncture Association is a not-for-profit membership organisation covering a wide range of acupuncture styles and related modalities and has links with mainland China, Taiwan and Japan. We keep a register of members who follow a Code of Ethics, Rules and Regulations and a health and safety Code of Safe Practice. Members are also registered with and follow specific local health authority safety, hygiene and sterilisation requirements, government regulation and carry full indemnity insurance.
We will accept qualifications for membership from the BAF approved course providers list. We will accept other qualifications upon discussion of the teaching establishment.
Membership Requirements: A Degree, Diploma or certificate from a BAF or other recognised Acupuncture College.
Association of Acupuncture Clinicians has been formed due to requests to allow practitioners who have a degree level qualification in acupuncture to quickly and easily become part of the British Acupuncture Federation.
The Association of Acupuncture Clinicians is one of the key organisations under the umbrella of the British Acupuncture Federation (BAF).
We support public choice and the ability to access the use of acupuncture by highly trained practitioners working in both the public and independent sectors.
Membership Requirements: Any Degree Level/Lic. Ac. Qualification
AFEA is a mission led organisation that promotes the power of five-element acupuncture. This unique system of holistic medicine harnesses the forces of nature to deliver effective treatments with the ability to:
• Address patients’ physical, mental and emotional symptoms.
• Deliver a preventative healthcare system that promises sustainable wellness.
• Establish equilibrium within the patient for continued optimum health and wellbeing.
Five-element acupuncture is an empowering system of eco-medicine which treats the whole of a unique individual rather than simply managing their symptoms.
Membership Requirements: Any five-element practitioners who hold a Lic. Ac. qualification issued by The Yellow Path, LIFEA, SOFEA, ITEA or COFEA.
The British Academy of Western Medical Acupuncture was started in 1976 by George Nieman who worked with other notable names such as Sydney Rose-Neil, Jack Worsley, Keith Lamont, Royston Low and Dick Van Buren. Together they founded the British Acupuncture Council.
BAWMA’s ethos and training was, and still is, determined by established medical science, involving known physiological and biochemical effects. The courses have been well established over the past 40 years and are open to Statutory Healthcare Professionals, including medical doctors, registered nurses & midwives, physiotherapists, podiatrists, osteopaths and chiropractor’s. Membership is open to anyone who has qualified under their courses, formally recognised by Liverpool John Moore University (LJMU) as a Master’s level 7 qualification.
Membership Requirements: Any one who has completed the BAWMA course.
The EMA (previously the Academy of Oriental Medicine) is a register for qualified Acupuncture and TCM Practitioners, who adhere to the BAF agreed level of practice and code of ethics within clinical practice.
We are honoured to have Dr Thopchen Passang as a member of the EMA Board, who is an eminent Tibetan Doctor from India and regularly provides advanced training within TCM and Tibetan Medicine for qualified acupuncturists, at his clinic in India and during his visits to the UK.
Membership Requirements: A Degree or Diploma from a BAF recognised Acupuncture College.
The Fu’s Subcutaneous Needling Association of Europe – FSNAE collecting clinical research data of FSN practice in the UK and the Europe.
Fu’s Subcutaneous Needling (FSN) is a modern acupuncture therapy which uses a modified acupuncture needle called FSN Trocar Acupuncture Needle to stimulate human body’s subcutaneous areas where nearby trigger points, or tightened muscles (TMs), so as to treat musculo-skeletal conditions as well as many other medical conditions.
Membership Requirements: Only Offered to Qualified Practitioners of the FSNAE course.
The Chinese Medical Institute and Register is professional association founded in 1994 in collaboration with Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. All of our registrants are either conventional medicine doctors or healthcare professionals from the EU or China trained doctors with more than 7 years of training and clinical practice.
The CMIR, in partnership with the AcuMedic Foundation, organises educational post-graduate and CPD courses in Chinese Medicine taught by highly experienced Chinese Doctors at our base in London. We have strong affiliations with prestigious Universities in China such as Beijing University, Guangzhou University and Guangxi University which we use to organise medical trips to China and courses. The CMIR is a member of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (Beijing) and the Chinese Medical Council.
Membership Requirements: Degree or Diploma from a BAF recognised Acupuncture College (see above for list).
The Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture UK (ATCM) is a professional organisation founded in 1994 by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioners in the UK.
Dedicated to excellence in the practice of TCM, it promotes proper professional qualifications and the highest standards in the profession.
ATCM stands in a unique position within the UK’s healthcare system and plays a crucial role in communication between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. By demanding high professional standards of all members, ATCM aims to establish a strong presence in the medical and patient communities and to attract more and more TCM practitioners.
Membership Requirements: A Degree or Diploma from a BAF recognised Acupuncture College and to take and pass a TCM interview process.
The Chinese Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Alliance UK (CAHMA) are professional traditional acupuncturists who have normally completed a 3,600 hour, degree level training in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation. They already have, or commit to, post graduate learning and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the areas of TCM practice. They are often called TCM practitioners who gained sufficient proper training on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in China or in the UK and provide relevant therapies including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Tuina therapeutic message, Cupping and Moxibustion etc.
Membership Requirements: A Degree or Diploma from a BAF recognised Acupuncture College or a proof of previous membership to an equivalent TCM association.
The Auricular & Microsystems Acupuncture Society was founded to promote and develop effective Microsystems of Acupuncture. The Microsystems Acupuncture Society supports the continued development of practitioners within the profession. It is a point of contact for the public to have access to competent Microsystem Acupuncture Practitioners in their area.
Membership Requirements: Open to Qualified Practitioners of Auricular and Micro-systems Acupuncture.
JAA is an association open to all styles of Japanese acupuncture and related modalities. This unique form of treatment and Meridian Therapy encompasses many methods such as Manaka and Toyohari and was setup to help grow, discuss and support Japanese Acupuncture within the UK
Membership Requirements: Open to any Member with a Qualification in Japanese Acupuncture or Related Modality.
Healthcare Insurance Partners
Our Clinics And Organisations
You can search for keywords such as a location, or for specific practices
e.g. Cupping. If you would like to view listings by text please use the scroll bar on the right hand side of the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
In line with the recommendations of the House of Lords’ Complementary & Alternative Medicine report in 2000, the British Acupuncture Federation was formed from a wide range of acupuncture organisations from the original stakeholder group. It does not have individual members; it is where all acupuncture organisations can discuss how to promote acupuncture.It reflects all styles of acupuncture, including both western and traditional techniques. BAF is the first and largest independent and collaborative umbrella organisation of leading professional acupuncture associations within the UK
The organisational members are key organisations under the umbrella of the British Acupuncture Federation. They are represented on the BAF board. This allows each organisations members tohave a voice for discussions and ideas on acupuncture and to help grow and expand both their organisation and BAF.
Each group has various criteria for joining and some organisations only allow members who have qualified from their training school to be accepted as a member of their organisation. Other organisations will immediately accept applications from people with qualifications from the following list of BAF approved training establishments –AACP, Acupuncture Academy, ATCM, BAAB, BMAS, CICM,City College of Acupuncture, College Of Chinese Medicine, College Of Naturopathic Medicine, ICOM, Lincoln College, Northern College of Acupuncture, Shulan College, University of Westminster, Yuan College, The Healing & Acupuncture College.Organisations can also accept members from other training providers and it is best to email them
with your qualifications for them to review
Membership usually doesn’t automatically include insurance but they do offer a specifically designed and heavily discounted BAF insurance scheme for those members requiring it.We are an open and non-political association and therefore support freedom of choice. Although we have developed a fantastic scheme, some practitioners such as medical practitioners may have found other policies that are better suited to their needs.
As mentioned above, joining a BAF member organisation does not automatically give you insurance. Should you require insurance, you can use our BAF affinity scheme policy and access the discounts available for its registrants. The following is from our insurance provider Balens regarding this policy: “We can hold cover from the date we receive the completed application form [and] subject to suitable qualifications and favourable answers to the declaration questions. When it comes to contacting the client for payment and issuing documents, our standard turn around time is 48 hours;
however, we may be slightly outside that due to the current situation with Covid-19.”