For Health Professionals
Central London NHS Acupuncture Clinic
Central London Acupuncture Clinic was an NHS funded Pilot Clinic, which run from 2023 to 2025.
If you referred patients to the SWPCN Acupuncture clinic, please take a moment to respond to the GP survey. It is very important to have your experience recorded together with the clinical outcomes data.
We are currently collecting and analysing data from the pilot. Data collection from the patients will continue up to 12 months after the end of their treatment.
Preliminary analysis of the outcomes data reveals, that:
- The clinic received over 400 from more than 40 GPs across 11 practices
- Majority of conditions seen were chronic, i.e. 5 years or longer
- 83% of patients saw an improvement in their condition
- Of those patients on medication, 44% reported that they reduced or stopped taking their medication
- No adverse events were recorded
- No worsening of condition was recorded, or increased medication
Preliminary report is available below for viewing, and as a pdf for a download.
Referrals to the Acupuncture Clinic
How To Refer
The Acupuncture Clinic continues as a private service and patients can be referred for self funded treatment.
Patients can self refer to any of the three clinics available.
GP can refer the patient directly to the clinic via the referral form.
If you wish to be kept updated about the treatment progress of your patient, don’t forget to share your contact details with the practitioner.
There is no limit to the length of time that treatment can be offered. This makes it more suitable for complex, chronic health conditions, which were not amenable to the short treatments span of 8 treatments available previously.
Who Can Be Referred
- All patients, including pregnant and childen, can safely attend acupuncture treatment
- Children must attend with a guardian
- Note that treatment is self-funded
EXCLUSIONS
- Clinically unstable patients
- Mentally unstable patients
Conditions Treated
PAIN OF ANY KIND
- e.g. MSK, cancer pain, neuro migraines, headaches, Menstrual pain
- Back, shoulder, neck pain, Sports injuries, sciatica
- Arthritis; IBS, fibromyalgia
MENTAL HEALTH
- e.g. insomnia, palpitations, panic attacks
- anxiety, depression
ADDICTIONS
- food, alcohol, tobacco, drugs
- addictive behaviours like gambling
“ODD” PROBLEMS
- No clear cause, yet problem persists
- Poor treatment options or polypharmacy
Additional Information
If the patient has been referred to clinic directly by the GP or other health professional, we will contact them and offer an appointment when one is available.
If patient has self-referred, they will be offered an appointment.
If you wish to be kept updated about your patient’s progress, make sure that you have provided contact details with your referral.
- When test results are inconclusive, no cause can be found but symptoms persist.
- When treatment options are poor or there are none.
- When the patient wishes to explore non-chemical and/or non-invasive treatment options.
- Alongside Western medical treatment for serious conditions, such as cancer.
- When nothing further can be done for the patient within Western Medicine.
See also here for a list of some Western named conditions, which have recently been reviewed for effectiveness of acupuncture treatment.
Is the condition acute, or chronic? Acupuncture is equally effective with both, but it is important to understand that when treating chronic condition, improvement may take some considerable time. Is the patient prepared to stick to treatment, and with the treatment being self funded, do they have resources to continue two-weekly sessions for some time?
There are no side effects – safe
Acupuncture is perfectly safe and beneficial to be used alongside Western medical treatment.
Please note that patients will never be given advice regarding their prescriptions or Western medical treatment options, for or against, that is a matter for their GP or consultant to discuss.
Acupuncture can greatly improve a patient’s health, well-being and mood when faced with serious and life-threatening conditions, and it can be useful to alleviate side-effects of Western medicine treatment, such as chemotherapy.
Acupuncture, however, should never be used as a first line of treatment in these situations, but only ever as an adjunct therapy. This is very important for the patient to understand: Acupuncture cannot effectively treat cancer.
