The NHS healthcare system is one of the best in the world, but the high levels of demand and staff shortages are putting patients' lives at risk. There is an increasing shortage of GPs, doctors and nurses due to a growing and ageing population needing more medical care. Added to this is a disincentive to recruitment as fewer professionals want to work under these stressful conditions. Modern medicine has proven to be very effective in tackling many of the health conditions we face today, however, there are areas, ‘effectiveness gaps’ (EGs), where available treatments in modern clinical practice are not fully effective, e.g., with depression, eczema, allergies, chronic pain for example, being frequently cited. Our campaign is for aromatherapy to become statutorily regulated and included within the NHS’s provision free of charge, where it can bridge the gap and support and improve the care available, thus reducing public spending on pharmaceutical interventions and related health costs.
Aromatherapists are specifically trained to deal with various muscular and psychosomatic conditions while GPs and nurses are not. Aromatherapists could therefore free up medical staff valuable time by taking on some of this workload.
Interesting Fact: Did you know the IFA is the sole aromatherapy register that patients and the public are referred to by the NHS and PSA (Professional Standards Authority) which includes the Care Quality Commission?
Medically, aromatherapy can:
Prevent conditions developing or deteriorating in some cases
Be utilised before more expensive, invasive and often unnecessary treatments are considered
Work alongside conventional medical treatment
Assist in both recovery and rehabilitation programmes
Be applied when conventional treatment has been exhausted and bring much needed comfort and respite
All of which could:
reduce the pressure on medical staff;
free up GP’s and nurse’s valuable time;
save significant costs spent on ineffective medication with frequently cited negative side effects;
reduce waiting time to see a physiotherapist for example, when patients know that aromatherapy massage works for them
All IFA therapists are bound by professional Codes of Conduct, Ethics and Practice and only ever work within the scope of their practice.
The Whole Person Approach
“The future of healthcare lies in our health system recognising that physical, emotional and mental health are intrinsically linked, and that only by treating a patient as a whole person can we tackle the root cause of illness and deal with the problem of patients presenting with multiple and complex conditions.” - All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated Healthcare (PGIH)
A report by the PGIH stresses that the rising costs to the health system require a more person-centred approach to health delivery, which focuses on prevention and tackles the root cause of illness. The report recommends making greater use of natural, traditional and complementary therapies, which are widely used to support people affected by a variety of conditions. It also highlights the huge under-utilised resource of professional therapists, who could work in collaboration with conventional medicine to improve patient outcomes and ease the burden on the NHS.
Many more patients now suffer from multi-morbidity than when the NHS was formed over 70 years ago. According to more recent estimates, the number of people in England living with one or more long-term conditions is projected to exceed 20 million by 2030, reflecting the increased prevalence of chronic health conditions due to an aging population and lifestyle factors. Furthermore, approximately 70% of total health and care spending in England is attributed to the treatment of long-term conditions, which affect a significant proportion of the population. The growing complexity of these health conditions has led to the escalating issue of polypharmacy, where patients are prescribed multiple medications at the same time.
This trend represents one of the greatest financial challenges to the NHS. The increasing costs of pharmaceutical treatments, combined with the largely unknown long-term effects of using multiple drugs simultaneously, pose risks to patient health and place a significant strain on the NHS budget. Experts warn that polypharmacy contributes to both rising dependency on drugs and unnecessary costs, rather than addressing the root causes of illness. As a result, more patients are managing to remain functional but are not truly "well," potentially leading to chronic illness and reduced quality of life.
The PGIH report argues that the government needs to devise a strategy to fully assess the degree of drug interactions, determine the long-term health effects on patients, and arrest the trend of over medicating the population. David Tredinnick MP, Chair of the PGIH, insisted that the current approach being taken by the government is unsustainable for the long-term future of the country and states: "Despite positive signs that ministers are proving open to change, words must translate into reality. For some time, our treasured NHS has faced threats to its financial sustainability and to common trust in the system.” Other European governments facing similar challenges have considered the benefits of exploring complementary, traditional and natural medicines. If we are to hang on to our most invaluable institution to future generations, so should we.
Alarming Facts and Figures
Work-related stress, depression or anxiety accounts for an estimated over 17 million working days lost per year in Great Britain (Health and Safety Executive, most recent annual estimates).
NHS England spends approximately £5–10 billion per year on musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, depending on methodology and direct vs indirect cost inclusion (NHS England / health economic modelling studies).
Up to 30 million working days are lost annually in the UK due to MSK-related illness and injury, making it one of the leading causes of workplace absence.
Mental ill health is estimated to cost the UK economy around £110–120 billion annually (including sickness absence, presenteeism, and reduced productivity), with tens of millions of working days lost each year (Deloitte / Mind / NHS-linked estimates).
A significant proportion of people on long-term sickness or incapacity-related support have an MSK condition, estimated at around one third to over half depending on definition and dataset (DWP / health surveys).
Around one in five GP consultations (≈20%) involve MSK conditions, making them one of the most common reasons for primary care visits (NHS / UK MSK data reviews).
The Financial Argument
The NHS could save a lot of GP and hospital time notably on MSK conditions. It could save money currently spent on ineffective medication often causing bad side effects. It could also save money by avoiding unnecessary operations. Benefit payments could be greatly reduced by getting people back to work more quickly or even keeping them at work in the first place. Last, but not least, aromatherapy is cheaper than other NHS treatments. So, both financially and health-wise – it makes sense.
So, Why is Aromatherapy Not Statutory Regulated in the UK?
The reason cited, is due to lack of funding as well as evidence, despite NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), issuing guidelines suggesting massage does in fact help certain conditions like lower back pain, multi-skeletal conditions (MSK) and sciatica and that aromatherapy notably helps with the symptoms of stress and dementia.
Some of the popular press has recently discussed these findings and highlighted that health experts categorise alternative treatments by those that are regulated by professional bodies and backed by scientific evidence, and those that are not. The need for aromatherapists to belong to a professional body such as the IFA is paramount to aromatherapy becoming statutory regulated. Furthermore, due to the increase in awareness of the dangers of self-governing bodies with no external quality assurance setting their own standards and insurance companies selling policies to those who have completed 1-2 days training, only aromatherapist who belong to a PSA regulated register may be able to work within the NHS in the future. And those who don't may have difficulty finding work. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) also take a similar view and limit how aromatherapy can be described, providing more scope for PSA accredited practitioners, but do not state just how much research is actually required to broaden the parameters.
Evidence Base for Aromatherapy
Ancient history has provided anecdotal evidence of the therapeutic use of essential oils but, in the last few decades, increasing scientific research has evidenced and substantiated its health benefits. The objective evidence base which supports aromatherapy comprises clinical trials, case histories, clinical audits and also patient reported outcome data. The amount of such research, and the media profile of some studies, has led to a high level of public confidence in the efficacy of aromatherapy. The trend in scientific essential oil research has vastly increased, both in the UK and internationally in the last decade with websites such as pubmed publishing clinical trials on a weekly basis. More funding of research and publicity of this work is needed within the UK and the IFA are actively taking steps by conducting its own research trials.
In Working Practice
In the UK today the general public is increasingly turning to aromatherapy to address a multitude of health issues. Aromatherapy aims to enhance well-being, relieve stress and help in the rejuvenation and regeneration of the human body. When there is no conventional treatment available to relieve symptoms or alleviate an illness, complementary care is often the only form of support people have. Essential oils have the potential to tap into the emotions, to heal and soothe the body, and promote spiritual connection. Aromatherapy can help create an atmosphere where the recipient can feel cared for, physically relaxed, less anxious, calm and restful and it also has the potential for a vital role in care and recovery programmes.
As a result, our practitioners work in a variety of social and healthcare environments as well as private practice, hospitals and hospices on both a paid and voluntary basis.
Encouraging Facts
A survey conducted by the Department of Health found that a significant proportion of doctors are open to the integration of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within patient care, particularly where it supports wellbeing and symptom management.
According to historical data from The Foundation for Integrated Medicine, CAM has been available through a proportion of GP surgeries (estimated at around 10%), although provision varies widely across regions and is not routinely commissioned.
Public use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) remains widespread in the UK, with surveys consistently suggesting that around 1 in 4 people have used some form of CAM, reflecting strong and growing patient demand for integrative approaches to health.
There is increasing recognition within healthcare policy of the value of prevention, self-care, and holistic approaches, with organisations such as NHS England emphasising personalised care, social prescribing, and non-pharmacological interventions as part of long-term NHS strategy.
Social prescribing - now embedded across primary care in England - enables GPs to refer patients to non-clinical services that support mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing, creating a clear pathway for therapies that reduce pressure on frontline services.
In 2018 the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated Healthcare (PGIH) published a report calling for CAM therapies to rescue the NHS from financial crisis.
During the pandemic, the IFA worked with the Government Department of Health and Social Carefor our registrants to be classified as ‘Healthcare workers’ rather than being classified under ‘Beauty’. This enabled our practitioners to continue to work during one of the worst healthcare challenges of a century as ‘essential workers’ and were given priority to receive the vaccine.
Our Strategy:
Further validate our profession by promoting and conducting research
To elevate and uphold the highest standards to improve the public perception of aromatherapy
Expand our portfolio of courses and training to introduce aromatherapy into even more settings and environments
Expand our portfolio of charity projects to further evidence its effectiveness in hospitals, hospices, in schools and orphanages, at disaster situations and social displacement
What Can the Public do to Help?
Raise awareness through social media platforms by sharing evidenced based research
Seek treatments from those that are IFA PSA registered
Ensure you are registered and regulated by a professional body like the IFA PSA register
Gain quality assured training and qualifications
Submit Research Papers
Submit Case Histories in publications like the Aromatherapy Times (all client data is anonymised)
Get involved with any surveys we may distribute
If your local practice is in favour of complementary medicine, we recommend that you contact them to make them aware of your services. The NHS has partly funded some surgeries to employ complementary and alternative therapists. In this instance treatments would be provided free to the public or clients referred would then be entitled to a reduced rate for a treatment. In some cases, doctors simply advise patients to see an alternative therapist, so ensure that when you write to your local surgery you explain your credentials, so they fully understand the scope of training you have completed. For IFA registered therapists, templates can be downloaded from the members' area of the IFA website. If your local surgery does not offer complementary medicine, it is likely that in the future it may do so make yourself known to them.
