Professional Boundaries

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

It covers:

• Power Imbalance
• Sexual Boundaries (including Intimate Examinations)
• Emotional Boundaries including Dependency
• Respect and Dignity
• Financial Boundaries (including Conflicts of Interest)
• Specific Risks of Social Media and Digital Communication
• Speaking up

The Joint Regulator Statement on Conflicts of Interest sets expectations for how healthcare professionals should act in relation to avoiding, declaring and managing actual or potential conflicts of interest across all health and social care settings.

This joint statement was agreed in 2017 by all nine statutory regulators overseen by the Professional Standards Authority.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are at the core of providing affirming, equitable healthcare, ensuring all patients receive fair treatment and opportunity. As primary healthcare providers, chiropractors have a critical role in reducing inequalities, particularly health inequalities, and enhancing inclusion and cohesion within our communities.

The purpose of this GCC EDI toolkit is to raise awareness of best practice and support chiropractors to meet the requirements in law so that any person who has contact with a registrant of the UK chiropractic profession will be treated fairly, with respect, and without discrimination.

Its aim is to ensure that chiropractors feel empowered to foster positive change, provide inclusive and affirming care, and avoid Fitness to Practise complaints. This toolkit is not designed to be a ‘how-to’ guide, nor to encourage EDI to be viewed as a tick-box exercise, but rather to support embedding EDI as part of a cultural approach that is an active and ongoing process.