The Association of Acupuncture Clinicians (AAC) welcomes official confirmation from the Joint Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC) that the longstanding blood donation deferral following acupuncture is to be removed for patients treated by appropriately registered or licensed acupuncture practitioners across the UK.
On 4 August 2026, the AAC received formal correspondence from JPAC, confirming that, following extensive consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care and the devolved administrations, the definition of a “qualified practitioner” will be expanded for the purposes of blood donor eligibility.
This means that, once implemented, people who have received acupuncture from practitioners registered or licensed in accordance with the legislation applicable in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will no longer be automatically deferred from donating blood. Where there is any doubt about the practitioner’s registration or the use of sterile single-use needles, the existing four-month deferral will continue to apply as a precautionary measure.
This formal confirmation represents the culmination of more than six years of sustained work by the AAC to secure a fair, evidence-based review of a policy that no longer reflected modern acupuncture practice.
Throughout this process, the AAC has engaged directly with NHS Blood and Transplant, JPAC, the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO), the Department of Health and Social Care, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the devolved administrations. This work has involved evidence gathering, legal advice, formal submissions, strategic meetings and continued engagement with decision-makers to ensure that the standards of modern acupuncture practice were properly recognised.
The official correspondence concludes by thanking the AAC for its engagement with JPAC throughout this process.
The AAC is proud to be a member organisation of the Acupuncture Regulatory Authority (ARA), which has played an important coordinating role throughout this campaign.
We also recognise the invaluable contribution of Chris Davies, CEO of the AAC, whose leadership has been instrumental in progressing this work over many years, together with Tony Dickinson of BAWMA, whose knowledge, persistence and support have been invaluable throughout the process.
This achievement reflects years of collaborative work across the ARA and its member organisations. While many practitioners and organisations will rightly welcome this outcome, it has been secured through sustained engagement, documentary evidence and constructive dialogue with government departments, regulators and advisory bodies over a period of more than six years.
Once the updated guidance is implemented by the UK blood services, patients who have received acupuncture from appropriately registered or licensed practitioners will no longer face an automatic waiting period before donating blood simply because they have received acupuncture.
This is an important recognition of the high standards of education, regulation, infection prevention and patient safety that underpin modern acupuncture practice in the UK.
The updated JPAC guidance is due to be published on 11 August 2026, with implementation dates to follow within each UK nation.
The AAC will continue to keep members informed as further information becomes available.
If you would like to understand more about the work undertaken by the AAC over the past six years, including the evidence, correspondence and key milestones that contributed to this outcome, you can read our previously published timeline and statement here – Blood Donation and Acupuncture: A Current Update – AAC
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