Message from Chris Davies CEO The current NHS Blood and Transplant position is that anyone who has received acupuncture must wait four months before donating blood. This waiting period was originally introduced to allow sufficient time for any blood-borne viruses to become detectable through post-donation screening. This policy was put in place many years ago following a serious incident involving the re-use of acupuncture needles that had not been adequately sterilised. While appropriate at the time, this position has remained unchanged despite the fact that acupuncture practice, regulation, and infection control standards in the UK have evolved significantly since then. Modern acupuncture practice uses single-use, sterile needles as standard, alongside stringent hygiene, health, and safety procedures supported by robust professional training. As a result, the risk associated with acupuncture is now among the lowest of all invasive procedures carried out in the UK. We have been committed to pursuing this issue fully and persistently. This was not a short-term engagement, but a sustained process of escalation, evidence-building, and negotiation. The work in this area was always undertaken not only for its own members, but for the profession as a whole. The AAC has a long-standing record of actively advocating for practitioners and its members and has collaborated in the past with other organisations towards mutual aims, including successfully securing permission for acupuncture services to remain open throughout all COVID lockdowns. This same commitment has underpinned our approach to blood donation policy. For the past six years, the AAC has been actively involved in challenging the four-month deferral period. This has included engaging legal counsel, responding to repeated procedural barriers, and pressing for review at every appropriate level, even where progress was slow or repeatedly delayed. Key milestones in this process include: 2019: Following extensive discussions, NHS Blood and Transplant confirmed its support for removing the four-month waiting period for acupuncture. 2020: Successfully argued for, and passed, a formal medical review of acupuncture procedures and infection control standards in the UK. 2022: Agreement was obtained from JPAC (the Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee), which is responsible for advising on donor selection and safety. 2023: Agreement was secured from SaBTO (the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs) to allow exemption from the waiting period for patients treated by practitioners registered with recognised acupuncture organisations. 2023: Agreement was reached in principle to abolish the four-month waiting period. 2024: Support for the revised position was confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). DHSC agreed to develop final recommendations for approval in consultation with the devolved health administrations. 2024: The devolved health administrations of all four UK nations were formally consulted and given the opportunity to raise objections. 2025: No objections were received from any of the four nations’ health departments. 2026: A proposed timeline has been agreed, with implementation of the revised guidelines expected by the end of Spring 2026. While timelines can be subject to delay, the most significant and complex work has now been completed. The key thing is an Agreement has been reached across multiple departments of health and all four devolved administrations. This represents a major shift and places the profession in a strong position as the final stages of implementation proceed. The AAC would like to acknowledge Tony Dickenson of BAWMA, who secured the initial agreement from NHS Blood and Transplant, along with all members of the AAC and ARA team and external legal advisors who have contributed to this bringing this to fruition. Although the milestones above appear concise, progress has been achieved through sustained, detailed, and often demanding engagement, including regular strategic meetings, legal consultation, and continued escalation where earlier efforts had stalled. Every possible avenue was explored, and pressure applied where necessary, to overcome repeated delays, unanswered correspondence, and assertions that change was impossible due to legislation. This outcome reflects what can be achieved through persistence, collaboration, and a clear commitment to advancing the profession in the interests of both practitioners and the public. What This Means in Practice for Practitioners and Patients Once the revised guidelines are implemented, patients who have received acupuncture from practitioners registered with recognised professional acupuncture organisations will no longer be subject to an automatic four-month deferral period when donating blood. This brings blood donation policy into alignment with modern acupuncture practice and current infection control standards. For practitioners, this represents formal recognition of the safety, professionalism, and regulatory standards upheld across the profession. It also removes an outdated barrier that has long affected patient confidence and public perception. For patients, it means greater clarity and fairness. Receiving acupuncture will no longer unnecessarily exclude otherwise eligible donors from giving blood, supporting both individual choice and the wider needs of the NHS blood supply. The AAC will continue to keep members informed as final guidance is issued and implementation progresses. I first took on this issue in 2020 and, after several years of work, we are now very close to achieving the outcome we have been aiming for. It has been a complex process, but it is something our members have consistently asked us to address. Throughout this time, AAC has remained committed to engaging proactively and working through the appropriate channels to help move the issue forward. While it would have been possible to seek an exemption for AAC alone, we felt it was important to pursue a solution that benefits the wider profession rather than just one organisation. Our aim has always been to see the rule itself reviewed so that the outcome is fairer for all acupuncturists. We will continue supporting the final stages of the rollout and advocating for the removal of the waiting period so the full benefits of these changes can be realised. Thank you to everyone who has supported this work and continued to raise the importance of the issue.
