Government must provide complementary healthcare on the NHS, says former minister.

 Complementary healthcare should be offered ‘free, as of right’ on the NHS, a former government minister told the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health.

Calling for governments across the UK to act, Peter Hain, the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, praised a pilot scheme in the province that allowed GPs to refer patients for complementary therapies funded by the health service.

Speaking at the first annual conference of the Foundation, Mr Hain said: ‘This is the first example of the successful integration of health care on the NHS n the UK.

‘I believe it shows conclusively that governments in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should now draw the lessons and establish integrated healthcare available for all our citizens.’

Mr Hain hit out at some in ‘the conventional medical establishment’ for resisting progress.

Critics of complementary medicine must ‘change their attitude,’ he said. One in five people in Britain use complementary therapies, while nearly half the GP practices in England provide access to some form of complementary healthcare, he added.

In 1998, 19 million visits were made to complementary practitioners in the UK, compared to 14m visits to A&E.

‘The growing popularity of such treatments is ultimately down to the fact that they deliver real benefits, and because patients welcome an approach which treats them holistically as a person, looking at their individual needs, not just the symptoms,’ said Mr Hain.

‘Conventional medicine needs to take this on board and stop being in denial.’

Supporters of integrated healthcare had to challenge their opponents, he warned.

‘The fact is that complementary medicine still has an image problem. Too many people still dismiss those of us who use such treatments as wackos and pill-poppers, while practitioners are branded quacks and confidence tricksters.

‘This is a perception that we must tackle head on,’ he added. ‘Complementary medicine can only play a role in the NHS if it can be shown to benefit patients.’

* For more information on the Northern Ireland study, see our blog of Boo Armstrong's talk on the outcomes.