Hypnotherapy and the NHS
This is an article that I have wanted to write for some time. There are some in our field who claim that they are recognised by the NHS. This statement for the vast majority is misleading at best and fraudulent at worst. The NHS does not specifically recognise hypnotherapy, though of course there are exceptions like the IBS Unit at Whythenshawe Hospital in Manchester and there are some practitioners who do get paid via an NHS trust for work they undertake.
There are those, however, who advertise that they are recognised by the NHS via an NHS Provider Number. This looks and even sounds impressive, but it is not. It’s merely an accounting system that if a person undertakes work with the NHS, they can be paid via this number. Indeed, the Department of Health, have stated in the past that these numbers were not to be used for marketing purposes, however that doesn’t stop people doing it.
Also, there are practitioners who pay to be on registers with the phrase NHS in them which they interpret to mean that they are somehow recognised by the NHS. These “registers” are private enterprises which confer no special privileges on people on them when it comes to the NHS.
When it comes to consulting a hypnotherapist who claims to be NHS Recognsied remember Caveat Emptor.
