The Complementary Therapy Awards rewarded practitioners at an event held in London on October 18th, 2018.
The event was organised and developed by Chamberlain Dunn Events in association with platinum sponsor The Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT) and media partner Health Radio and also The Professional Standards Authority.
Supporters of the new awards included The College of Medicine, BCMA, Association of Reflexologists, NACTHPC, The British Reflexology Association, Association for Naturopathic Practitioners, Research Council for Complementary Medicine and Private Practice Hub.
The ceremony followed an opening address by Dr Michael Dixon, Chair of The College of Medicine and celebrated the inspiring achievements of UK therapists working to improve patient health and well-being whether working as a single-handed practitioner or within an organisation.
The overall winner was The Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust, which supports cancer patients and their families by providing funds to employ complementary therapists (healers) in the NHS and Hospices.
Gina Reinge of the Reinge Clinic was presented with the Award for pain management, injury prevention and rehabilitation for her work helping a woman suffering from the rare degenerative disease arachnoiditis to get moving again so she could walk without pain.
The winner of the Award for mental health and well-being was Naji Malak, co-founder, and CEO of Stand Easy Military Support who has achieved great results by using a specialist form of acupuncture to help ex-service people deal with post traumatic stress disorder.
The Award for palliative care went to Elaine Cooper, clinical lead specialist complementary therapies and Rachel Clark, lead complementary therapist palliative care, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust who are celebrating 25 years of providing complementary therapies in NHS palliative care, supported by charity in the beginning and now funded by NHS commissioning.
The FHT Award for complementary therapy research was presented to Nicola Brough, clinic director, Torus Wellbeing Clinic, and Sarah Stewart-Brown, professor and Chair of Public Health, University of Warwick for their work in developing and validating the Warwick Holistic Health Questionnaire (a patient reported outcome measure) to assess changes in health and well-being of craniosacral therapy/CAM users.
The Award for furthering integrated healthcare was presented to Gwyn Featonby, education lead and Julie Crossman, complementary therapy lead, NHS Natural Health School, Harrogate, who provide complementary therapies for patients in the hospital’s chemotherapy and cancer centre.
They are funded by charitable donations but are on NHS contracts. The Award for prevention and self-care was presented to Roberta Meldrum, Director of the Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living for their Positive Movement project to get older people on the move using a range of techniques that fit in with everyday life.
The Award for cancer care went to Angie Buxton-King, director of the Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust for her work providing healing in hospitals and hospices.
The charity donates funds to NHS cancer centres and hospices to employ practitioners of Reiki and Healing who are often then taken on by the NHS.
A comprehensive Winners Guide can be viewed here.
For information about Angie Buxton-King’s latest book The NHS Healer:
Onwards And Upwards refer to the final section of the College of Medicine
Complementary Round-up March 2018
