The Integrated Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) backed petition, calling for the government to allow all complementary healthcare workers to be allowed to return to face-to-face consultations, has surged past 10,000 signatures in just 4 days.
The General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN) and fellow IHC member organisations have been calling on the government to help support the safe and quick return of the whole sector for many weeks. On 13th May, over 7 weeks ago, a parliamentary petition was tabled calling for the government to work with them to bring that about. However, that petition, which should have been approved in 7 days, has still not been approved by the Petitions Committee.
The IHC’s Core members took decisive action to ensure that the voices of thousands of therapists and patients did not go unheard, and put down this charge.org petition. In gaining over 10,000 signatures in such a short space of time, this petition has shown the huge support that this industry has around the country. Had the petition been a parliamentary one, it would have now been waiting for an official government response, having obtained 10,000 signatures. The government should take note of that.
Perhaps more than ever, people need mental and physical support, and complementary, traditional and natural healthcare workers want to help the country move forward from Covid-19. All IHC member organisations are committed to the safety of both their members, and patients, and have developed safe return to work guidance, which is in harmony with the government’s own guidance document ‘Keeping workers and clients safe during Covid-19’, published 23rd June.
The GCRN hopes that the government will take note of the strength of public feeling displayed by the large number of signatures to the petition, and that it acts now to get the whole of this valuable sector back to work, and help the wider health and wellbeing of the nation.
You can still show your support and sign at:
http://chng.it/zJ7Qtfcn