Significant policy change rarely happens overnight.
The removal of the four-month blood donation deferral for patients treated by licensed acupuncture practitioners is the result of more than six years of evidence gathering, collaboration and negotiation.
Led by the Association of Acupuncture Clinicians (AAC), in collaboration with the Acupuncture Regulatory Authority (ARA) and Tony Dickinson (BAWMA), this work involved engagement with NHS Blood and Transplant, JPAC, SaBTO, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the devolved health administrations across all four UK nations.
Reaching agreement across so many organisations was a complex process, requiring each stage to be completed before the next could begin.
2020: They successfully argued for, and passed, a formal medical review of acupuncture procedures and infection control standards in the UK.
2022: Agreement was obtained from JPAC (the Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee), which is responsible for advising on donor selection and safety.
2023: Agreement was secured from SaBTO (the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs) to allow exemption from the waiting period for patients treated by practitioners registered with recognised acupuncture organisations.
2023: Agreement was reached in principle to abolish the four-month waiting period.
2024: Support for the revised position was confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). DHSC agreed to develop final recommendations for approval in consultation with the devolved health administrations.
2024: The devolved health administrations of all four UK nations were formally consulted and given the opportunity to raise objections.
2025: No objections were received from any of the four nations’ health departments.
2026: A proposed timeline has been agreed, with implementation of the revised guidelines expected by the end of Spring 2026.
2026:Â implementation agreed with changes to the JPAC website to represent these changes in August 2026 and that exemption for licenced acupuncturists will be allowed and rolled out from this date by the relevant blood service.
While timelines can be subject to delay, the most significant and complex work has now been completed. The key thing is that due to our negotiations agreements have been reached across multiple departments of health and all four devolved administrations. This represents a major shift never accomplished before and places the profession in a strong position as the final stages of implementation proceed.
The most significant and complex stages of this work have now been completed.
Through years of constructive negotiations, agreement was secured across multiple departments, advisory committees and all four devolved administrations—something never previously achieved for the acupuncture profession.
This landmark achievement reflects the dedication of everyone involved and demonstrates what can be accomplished through evidence-based advocacy, collaboration and persistence.
The AAC is proud to have led this work alongside the Acupuncture Regulatory Authority (ARA) and Tony Dickinson (BAWMA), helping to secure one of the most significant policy developments for the profession in recent years.
The successful implementation of this change is not only a victory for licensed acupuncture practitioners and their patients, but also an important recognition of the high standards of modern acupuncture practice across the UK.
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