Foundation for Integrated Health

The records relate to the Foundation's work in developing regulatory structures for professional bodies in complementary and alternative medicine, and are divided into two sections; general administrative records for the FIH regulation programme, and files relating to individual therapy groups, including minutes, correspondence and papers of these organisations.

The records do not include the main administrative records of FIH such as accounts, trustee minutes, annual reports, and constitutional records; these may have been misplaced when the charity moved offices in 2010, prior to its closure in the same year. Instead, these records focus on the regulatory work carried out by the charity.

Some abbreviations used in this catalogue:

AC: Aromatherapy Council

APL/APEL: Accredited Prior Learning/Accredited Prior Experiential Learning

ARH: Alliance of Registered Homeopaths

ATVSRG: Alexander Technique Voluntary Self-Regulation Group

BCYT: British Council for Yoga Therapy

CAM: Complementary Alternative Medicine

CPD: Continuing Professional Development

CORH: Council of Organisations Registering Homeopath

CNHC: Complementary & Natural Healthcare Council

CRB: Criminal Records Bureau

CTA: Complementary Therapists' Association

DfES: Department for Education and Skills

DH: Department of Health

FIM: Foundation for Integrated Medicine

FWG: Federal Working Group

GHR: General Hypnotherapy Register

GHSC: General Hypnotherapy Standards Council

GNC: General Naturopathic Council

HPC: Health Professions Council

ISRM: Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage

LCSP: London & Counties Society of Physiologists

MARWG: Microsystems Acupuncture Regulatory Working Group

NOS: National Occupational Standards

NTC: Nutritional Therapy Council

PSB: Profession Specific Boards

RRWG: Reiki Regulatory Working Group

SMA: Sports Massage Association

UKCHO: UK Confederation of Hypnotherapy Organisations

VBS: Vetting and Barring Scheme

VSR: Voluntary self-regulation

1999-2009

18 archive boxes, 2 digital items and 3 DVDs

Arranged in sections A-B as follows:

A: FIH General

B: Regulation Programme Participants

The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health (originally known as the Foundation for Integrated Medicine; later the Foundation for Integrated Health), was established in 1993 and closed in 2010. The President of the Charity was HRH Prince Charles. The charity was set up to encourage the integration of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with conventional medicine. The charity also aimed to educate the general public, medical doctors, and complementary practitioners about alternative and complementary medicine.

Following recommendations made regarding regulation (chapter 5) in the 6th report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology concerning CAM (2000), FIH initiated a programme to regulate alternative and complementary therapies. It was hoped that regulation would ensure minimum standards, provide common standards and codes of ethics and practice, and improve the professional status and authority of the CAM sector.

In May 2000, FIH received a £1m grant from the King's Fund to carry out a programme of CAM regulation, encouraging representatives from alternative therapies to agree on set standards and practices. At the end of this five year programme, FIH received funding from the Department of Health (£900,000) to continue its programme of developing self-regulation in complementary medicine. As well as financial assistance, the Foundation monitored the progress of participating therapy groups and provided advice and support.

In order to be eligible for grant money, each therapy had to establish a single lead body which represented at least 80% of the profession. Each working group acted as a representative for the interests of its member organisations, and maintained regular contact with FIH about progress made towards regulation.

Participating groups were required to set annual milestones and targets, submit annual progress reports, and develop appropriate standards and codes of practice, including codes of ethics and conduct, and complaints and disciplinary procedures. Additionally, groups were required to have an independent lay chair and lay representatives on their committees.

As well as working towards regulation, participating therapy groups were expected to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS), to ensure practitioner competence within their specialism. In order to standardise education and training, groups were encouraged to develop core curriculums, establish CPD programmes, and work towards accreditation with higher education institutions. This work was initiated by Skills for Health (the Sector Skills Council) in 2002.

A number of different approaches to regulation were considered by FIH and participating groups. These included voluntary self-regulation, where the profession would regulate itself, setting standards and agreed practice to be followed by practitioners. Under voluntary self-regulation, practitioners would not be forced to join a register and that the profession itself would form a body to oversee standards. The alternative was federal regulation, in which an independent third party would manage a single register for all therapies.

Following a period of consultation, FIH established a Federal Working Group (FWG) in 2006, consisting of members from a number of groups participating in the regulation programme. The group worked towards creating a federal system of self-regulation.

In 2008, the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) was established to provide a voluntary federal regulatory body for complementary practitioners. The council emanated from work undertaken by the FIH on regulation and was supported by the Department of Health. CNHC provided a single register for CAM practitioners, including Alexander Technique; Aromatherapy; Bowen Therapy; Craniosacral Therapy; Healing; Hypnotherapy; Massage Therapy; Microsystems Acupuncture; Naturopathy; Nutritional Therapy; Reflexology; Reiki; Shiatsu; Sports Therapy; Yoga Therapy.

In 2010, FIH closed down following allegations of fraud and money laundering. The foundation was removed from the Charity Commission's register in 2011.

The records of the FIH were donated to the CNHC by Ms Boo Armstrong, CEO of the Foundation, after the FIH disbanded in 2010. The records of FIH were subsequently donated to the Wellcome Library by Maggy Wallace, CNHC in December 2011.

This collection has been catalogued and is available to library members. Some items have access restrictions which are explained in the item-level catalogue records.