As a chiropractor you may work with vulnerable adults, children, and patients who may be unable to protect themselves, and you should expect to be subject to a criminal records check (sometimes known as a police check, police records check or DBS check).
The GCC offers the following information and links for chiropractors and chiropractic clinics to assist them in obtaining a criminal record check, but you are encouraged to consider your own circumstances and seek independent advice.
You may also be asked for a criminal records check if you are working within a clinic (even if you are self-employed) or as a requirement under local or regional legislation. These requirements vary locally and are described further below.
In common with other statutory healthcare regulators, the GCC does not currently require registrants to routinely provide a criminal records check at registration. At registration, and through the retention process each year, we ask that registrants provide an undertaking that they will inform us in the event of their being charged with a criminal offence. Failing to declare an offence may be treated as a fitness to practise matter.
The GCC will pass information to the relevant disclosure services if we become aware of information that we believe may be relevant to the suitability of a person to work with children or vulnerable adults.
The General Chiropractic Council encourages all chiropractors and clinics to conduct regular criminal records checks on their staff as appropriate.
The following standards within the Code of Professional Practice are relevant to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults:
The Code of Professional Practice - Standard A6:
safeguard children and vulnerable adults by:
When you suspect a child or vulnerable adult could be at risk of, or suffering, abuse or neglect, you must promptly follow the established local safeguarding arrangements to report your concern. You must record your suspicions and actions.
The Code of Professional Practice - Standard C2:
seek appropriate independent advice if you have significant concerns about your own fitness to practise, whether due to issues with health, character, behaviour, judgement or any other matter which may compromise the safety of patients or damage the reputation of your profession.
The Code of Professional Practice - Standard C4:
take responsibility, as an autonomous healthcare professional, for keeping up to date with, and following relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice and GCC guidance.
The Code of Professional Practice - Standard C15:
promptly inform the GCC if, anywhere in the world:
Note that when the term “registered body” is used in guidance for employers in relation to a DBS Check, or in legislation, it refers to an organisation such as a large employer that has registered with the Disclosure and Barring Service and can request a check directly from them. The GCC is not such a organisation.
Providing chiropractic care to children or vulnerable adults is considered as a regulated activity under schedule 4 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. This means that:
In common with all patient-facing healthcare roles, chiropractors are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, meaning they must disclose all convictions and cautions, including spent ones, to employers and regulatory bodies unless they are protected.
Employers must refer someone to DBS if they:
Chiropractic clinics are not required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). However if you do work within a clinic registered with the CQC, the Care Quality Commission expects that all clinical staff will require a DBS check (even if you are self-employed from the clinic’s point of view).
Chiropractic clinics are not required to register with the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW). However if you do work within a clinic registered with HIW, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales expects that all clinical staff will require a DBS check (even if you are self-employed from the clinic’s point of view).
Due to the nature of the work that a chiropractor carries out, the most appropriate check is likely to be an “Enhanced Check with Barred List(s)”. An enhanced DBS check will contain details of all spent and unspent convictions and adult cautions from the Police National Computer (PNC) which have not been filtered in line with legislation. It also includes a check of information held by police forces and a check against the Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists.
You will need to use an umbrella body who will apply for the check for you. Your Professional Association may have an arrangement with an umbrella body, or there is a list on the find an Umbrella Body GOV.UK page. There is likely to be an extra fee for this service.
If you provide work to a chiropractor (even if they are self-employed for legal purposes) you can apply for an enhanced check with barring through an umbrella body. There is further information on gov.uk about how to apply for a DBS check for members of staff.
If you are a self-employed chiropractor, from January 2026, you can apply for an enhanced check with barring yourself through an umbrella body.
You may also wish to consider joining the update service, which allows you to allow multiple clinics or other organisations access to your DBS check (there is a fee for this service).
As an employer, you are responsible for making sure that the people you employ are suitable for the role.
For staff working alongside a chiropractor, the Disclosure and Barring Service produces a guidance leaflet and eligibility tool to help you find the most appropriate type of check for different roles.
Under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007, a chiropractor must be a "Protecting Vulnerable Groups" (PVG) scheme member for the group they are working with (i.e. children and/or protected adults). It is a criminal offence for someone to carry out a regulated role without being a member of the PVG scheme for that individual.
If the chiropractor is working for an organisation, including under a contract for services, the organisation must have received a PVG Scheme disclosure from Disclosure Scotland for that individual to confirm that they are a PVG scheme member before the chiropractor can begin their role for the organisation.
If you permanently remove an employee from a regulated role carried out in Scotland, because of concerns about their suitability to work with children or vulnerable adults, you must refer them to Disclosure Scotland.
Working as a chiropractor is on the list of regulated roles in Scotland, meaning it is a legal requirement to join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme, and you must keep your membership up to date with Disclosure Scotland.
If you provide work to a chiropractor under contract (even if they are self-employed for legal purposes), then you need to start the PVG application. The chiropractor is then sent a link to complete the process.
Self-employed chiropractors
If you work as a self-employed chiropractor you can apply for PVG membership in your own right but, as part of the process, you will have to confirm you are not working for a clinic or other organisation.
If you employ other staff within your clinic, it is your responsibility to consider if they are carrying out a regulated role.
Clinic staff who have patient contact can receive a Level 2 Disclosure in Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, criminal records checks are the responsibility of AccessNI.
Note that when the term “registered body” is used in guidance for employers in relation to a AccessNI check, it refers to an organisation such as a large employer that has registered with AccessNI and can request a criminal record check directly from them. The GCC is not such a organisation.
Due to the nature of the work that a chiropractor carries out, the most appropriate check is likely to be an “Enhanced Check with Barred List(s)”. An enhanced DBS check will contain details of all spent and unspent convictions and adult cautions that have not been filtered. It also includes a check against the list of people who are unsuitable for working with children, and the list of people who are unsuitable for working with vulnerable adults.
You will need to use an umbrella body who will apply for the check for you. Your Professional Association may have an arrangement with an umbrella body, or there is a list on the AccessNI webpages There is likely to be an extra fee for this service.
You can find more information about applying (through an umbrella organisation) for a criminal record check for a chiropractor on the AccessNI website.
If you work as a self-employed chiropractor you can apply for your own AccessNI enhanced check through an umbrella body.
You can find more information about applying (through an umbrella organisation) for a criminal record check for other staff, on the AccessNI website.
As an employer you must:
Chiropractors in Gibraltar should apply for a Police Certificate from the Royal Gibraltar Police.
