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The IFA Becomes Core Member of Integrated Healthcare Collaborative (IHC)
This September, the International Federation of Aromatherapy (IFA) has become a core member of the Integrated Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) to work collaboratively with other CAM disciplines to collectively further the interests of our registrants. The Collaborative was formed in April of 2020 and currently has approximately 29 professional bodies represented.
The IHC was formed as a response to the government’s APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) for Integrated Healthcare report of December 2018, entitled: "Integrated Healthcare: Putting the pieces together".
A main recommendation from the report was that: "Professional associations representing complementary, traditional and natural healthcare should work more closely together on common issues, to share knowledge and experience.” And also, that: “A formal collaborative should be established which brings together major associations to take the field forward collectively." The IHC came into being to help better health outcomes through improved integration of healthcare services. The organisation is established with over 30 years of work and collaboration between the former All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated Healthcare and other leading organisations in the field.
IHC member organisations have over 30,000 therapists and practitioners on their registers, and only the very best in the field are approved for membership. As we move forward, IHC members will continue to work together on issues of concern and common areas of interest, make the case for increasing access to these therapies, and promote greater integration with conventional Western medicine in order to improve patient choices and outcomes within our healthcare system.
The IFA, this year celebrating its 35th Anniversary, is well-placed to join the IHC. With over 35 years in training and CPD, the IFA regulates and accredits standards in aromatherapy for both practitioners and qualification providers. Set up for the safety of the public, the IFA has been a registered charity since 1986. The IFA has the highest standard of training in the UK and pioneered aromatherapy in the NHS, hospices and care professions, which is why it is as accepted by the UK medical profession as it is today.
In March this year also, the IFA also achieved Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accreditation. The Professional Standards Authority is an independent body accountable to Parliament and oversees the UK’s nine statutory health and care regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council. It launched its Accredited Register programme under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to accredit voluntary registers of professionals working in a variety of health and social care occupations that are not currently statutorily regulated, such as aromatherapy.
Pauline Allen, CEO of the IFA said: “Joining the IHC in the same year as gaining PSA accreditation, is a great step forward for us. At the IFA we are incredibly proud of our achievements and hope to build on the success of getting PSA accreditation by taking our organisation from strength to strength. This will mean through lobbying government, talking to and building relationships with external stakeholders and through developing our networks. We look forward to a bright future with the IHC, with our members at the very core of our focus.”
For more information
If you would like to learn more about the work of the Integrated Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) please visit their website or if you have any question’s please contact us.