Author: Nick Pahl, Chief Executive of the British Acupuncture Council

The NHS is a focus of the media at the moment – perhaps no surprise with concerns about care and budget pressures. For those of us working in membership organisations in the health sector this attention is nothing new; but I think it means we have to work harder to demonstrate to our members what we offer as budgets are tighter both in the NHS and in the private sector.

I spend a lot of time trying to understand what are the key issues for our members and to provide an appropriate membership benefits package. Being seen to understand these issues can be harder when I am London based though. The London economy seems to be in an island of its own and there is concern by members that if you are a Londoner you don’t understand the challenges they face. Members need to understand that you “get this”, so we have aimed to reflect their concerns e.g. moving our conference location further north and out of the south east of England.

With all the negative publicity around, I perceive confidence as a major issue for health professionals such as acupuncturists, who often don’t feel valued. Perhaps perversely, despite concerns about the Government’s political interference in the NHS, recognition by Government is an important marker of success for our members. Many of us are currently trying to influence plans within political manifestos or by regulators. My organisation, the British Acupuncture Council, was pleased that we were one of the first organisations to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. This status has helped advocacy to organisations such as NHS Blood and Transplant and BUPA where we are looking for greater recognition. We have also rebranded, to demonstrate our confidence more widely. Ensuring the fee is affordable is important too, to demonstrate to members that we understand the difficult economic climate they are experiencing.

A concern for me at the moment is ensuring long term growth in members. We need to ensure a new cadre of members come through but the education sector is going through radical change which seems to be affecting the number of students. We might well see more education now happening in private colleges rather than Universities, due to the new fee structure in England. I’ve benefited from reflection with a mentor as how to how to respond to this challenge.

Nothing beats face to face meetings with members though – be it at regional groups, events or conferences. Despite all our social media investment, taking time to really understand what members and potential members are thinking gives me the best chance of success. If I have helped members not be afraid of the future and have confidence that their membership organisation can help, then it’s a positive all round.