Clinical Practice: Delivery of Care

High-quality chiropractic care is grounded in patient-centred practice, evidence-based decision-making and clinically justified interventions. The new Code sets clear expectations for how chiropractors assess, diagnose and manage care, including the appropriate use of diagnostic imaging and the need for meaningful conversations about risks, benefits and treatment options. Delivery of care must be personalised, proportionate and continually reviewed to ensure that patient wellbeing remains the primary focus.

Guidance and Toolkits

The GCC’s delivery-of-care resources support registrants in applying evidence-based principles, conducting effective assessments, selecting appropriate interventions and communicating clinical decisions clearly. Toolkits also provide guidance on the justified use of diagnostic imaging, shared decision-making, informed consent and inter-professional referrals. These materials help chiropractors deliver safe, effective and collaborative care aligned with the Code.

Guidance for Chiropractors: Consent

This guidance will assist registrants to meet the expectations of the Code of Professional Practice in relation to Consent.

It covers:

Consent
Explicit and Implied consent
Valid consent
Capacity
Treating children and young people
Intimate examinations
Chaperones and advocates

Read the Consent Guidance

Guidance for Chiropractors: Confidentiality

This guidance will assist registrants to meet the expectations of the Code of Professional Practice in relation to confidentiality.

It covers:

Data protection law
Management of records
Disclosure of confidential information with and without consent

Read the Confidentiality Guidance

Valid Consent Toolkit

Obtaining valid consent from a patient is a critical part of chiropractic treatment, demonstrating that a patient has sufficient understanding of their treatment options based on information provided by their chiropractor.

Consent is not a one-off conversation or activity. It is important that chiropractors continually engage with patients to regularly review and explain treatment and confirm that the patient is happy to proceed. Ongoing dialogue with patients not only builds trust but can be an effective means of obtaining informal consent. It also creates an environment in which patients feel empowered to talk about consent and importantly, recognise that consent can be withdrawn at any time.

This toolkit provides registrants with practical tips to support discussions with patients about consent.

Read the Valid Consent Toolkit

Patient Centred Care Toolkit

Putting patients first is an essential principle for chiropractic professionals who work hard to provide a high standard of safe and effective treatment.

Patient-centred care focusses on the patient’s individual needs, recognising and respecting values and preferences and adapting treatment accordingly. This approach is key to building trusted relationships with patients. A professional approach to patient-centred care includes using your knowledge and expertise to advocate on behalf of a patient and recognising when to make a referral to another healthcare professional to ensure a patient receives the most appropriate care for their condition.

This toolkit provides registrants with suggestions and practical advice on taking a professional patient-centred approach to care.

Read the Patient Centred Care Toolkit

Royal College of Chiropractors Quality Standards

Clinicians can improve their quality of patient care and achieve excellence by clearly describing a high-quality, evidence-based service. The Royal College of Chiropractors Quality Standards are evidence-based tools designed to deliver the best possible patient outcomes.

Developed by expert teams and widely consulted on, the Quality Standards provides patients, the public, healthcare professionals, commissioners and chiropractors with clear definitions of high-quality chiropractic care.

Chiropractors are encouraged to adopt the Quality Standards as practice policy and use them as a source for clinic promotion, identifying CPD requirements, or tendering for NHS contracts.

The Standards enable healthcare professionals to understand the standard of service that chiropractors provide and allow commissioners to be confident that they are purchasing services of high quality.

The Quality Standards also help patients understand what defines high-quality chiropractic care.

The RCC has produced quality standards on: