Celebrating British Chiropractic Awareness Week 2024
This year, Chiropractic Awareness Week (CAW), 22nd-28th April, is all about raising awareness and speaking up for the chiropractic profession, to build understanding and recognition about the value and expertise that chiropractors bring to their local communities. This year’s theme is ‘Making Chiropractic Integral: Building connections and nurturing a community with the people and places that matter to you.’
We asked Louise Ticehurst, Lead Practice Educator within the AECC School of Chiropractic, for her views on the importance of chiropractors…
How do chiropractors work with other healthcare professionals to ensure patients get the best care and advice they need?
“In lots of different ways. Out in a private practice, it may be that lots of different professions work together such as a chiropractor with a sports specialist, physio, or dietician. So, there may be multidisciplinary practices like that working together privately. Working with GPs, there may be a rheumatology specialist in charge of their care. The communication lines are kept open between all the health professionals on how we may be caring for our patient, and letting those involved in their care know what everyone is up to.”
How does that work at AECC UC?
“AECC UC has a truly multidisciplinary approach to healthcare. This means clinicians from many backgrounds collaborating to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. Our Clinical and Rehabilitation Services at AECC UC include Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Neurological Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Dietetics, Sports Rehabilitation, Ultrasound Guided Injections and more. As chiropractors at AECC UC, we can inter-refer between all these professions. We make sure that the patient is at the centre of everything we do, giving them access to lots of different services and opening lines of communication with other professionals, rather than working alone as a sole practitioner. Our Clinical and Rehabilitation Services is a unique setup in that costs are kept as low as possible, but we can offer as many services to patients as possible. We also keep the conversation going with the patient’s GP, so they have the knowledge of what treatment the patient has had, helping to speed up pathways for further down the line. So, it can really help with a patient’s care.”
How do chiropractors help promote good health and public health initiatives?
“We are a primary care contact so patients can come to us first without going to another provider. We are then able to identify what help they may need and come up with treatment plans of management. We are also good at identifying where other healthcare providers may need to be involved and we can signpost our patients to them and be a health advocate in giving them what they need.”
Why should we build understanding and recognition about the value and relevance of chiropractors’ expertise?
“As a profession, we’ve got lots of bright students who are graduating from AECC UC with all this knowledge who want to start working in the healthcare community with other healthcare professionals. They have a lot to give to their patients. By building awareness of how in-depth their training is and the standards that chiropractors are held to, gives assurances to patients on how high-quality their care is. We are regulated and are held to the highest standards. Our students must pass very rigorous examinations before they are allowed to start working in private practice.
“Healthcare has changed over the years and patients are much more involved in their own healthcare. As chiropractors in private practice, we have the time to spend with our patients and can help them navigate their healthcare and understand it. That is a real benefit of being a chiropractor in private practice.”
Louise Ticehurst
