National Institute of Medical Herbalists

The Register of Medical Herbalists

The NIMH Register of Medical Herbalists is the largest and longest established in the western world. The Register, which includes UK and International Members, is easily accessible on the NIMH website under Find a Medical Herbalist and is also available in the printed format from the NIMH head office in Exeter Contact Us.

The Find a Medical Herbalist facility on NIMH’s website includes a map locator and a directory listing on which a search can be carried out under area, county, town, post code, country and name. In addition, NIMH’s Head Office and Information Service direct members of the public to their nearest practitioners.

Being on the Register of Medical Herbalists means
- That you have satisfied the admissions criteria to join the Institute
- That you maintain continuing professional development and competence
- That you are governed by NIMH’s codes of ethics, practice and conduct
- That you are subject to the provisions of NIMH’s complaints and disciplinary procedures
- That you are insured under NIMH’s block insurance scheme

Promotion of your Practice
NIMH has recently invested in a complete re-branding of the Institute redesigning its website and promotional material. As a member you will be able to purchase NIMH’s posters and leaflets to use in the promotion of both your practice and the profession. The NIMH website has been completely redesigned to raise the profile of medical herbalists and herbal medicine. The second phase of development will promote herbalists and herbal medicine in the public mind.

PR Services
NIMH continues with its massive re branding exercise and our new ‘look’ will be show-cased at our Conference this year. Development will continue with a second phase which will promote and extend the public profile of medical herbalists and herbal medicine.
We have recently recruited a PR professional who is working in tandem with our PR Officer on further projects to help herbalists promote their practices and the profession.

Information and Helpline Services
The NIMH Information Service aims to provide accurate information for the public, health professionals and media and support and advice for NIMH members. Our information hub serves to respond to thousands of enquiries annually (almost 10,000 in 2007) via telephone, email or post.

Media Services
The NIMH regularly provides comment, case studies and written material for media. NIMH’s report on media (Media Review for 2007-8) showed several key developments; greater engagement of members in response to media reports, quality responses from Institute members and Council on research, and increased activity of NIMH and its members in the media; radio and tabloids specifically.

New Members
NIMH is the only western herbal medicine practitioner association that offers a scheme of initial professional development and support to new member practitioners in recognition of the specific needs that exist at the start of professional life. The programme of support begins when you join NIMH and lasts for a year during which time you are assigned an experienced herbalist as your mentor, and assisted with setting up in practice, business development, expansion of your professional knowledge, and with confidence building.

Continuing Professional Development
After a year of initial professional development each member continues with professional development that will ensure continuing education and maintenance of standards of practice. Members may avail of favourable fees for CPD seminars held annually throughout the UK and for annual conference where you can listen to UK and international speakers, and participate in workshops and demonstrations as well as network with fellow herbalists. International members receive free seminar notes on request. CPD has been extended through the use of a Virtual Learning Environment as part of the CAMLIS library facilities.

NIMH Accreditation board
NIMH maintains an accreditation board which accredits courses the graduates of which are then eligible to apply for membership of the Institute. This helps to maintain standards in the training of future Herbalists.

Library Services
NIMH is a founding member of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Library and Information Service (CAMLIS) situated at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital in the heart of London. CAMLIS will house NIMH’s library and will provide our members with online access and a loan/photocopy service. In addition, members will be able to visit the library in person at Great Ormond Street in London where they will be able to consult NIMH and other library material.

There are many old herbals which can be difficult to access and we hope that some of these will be scanned and made available to members on line. A number of periodicals are also being ordered, some of which will also be available on line. NIMH’s library includes the Fred Fletcher Hyde Collection. For more information on CAMLIS please visit www.cam.nhs.uk

Research services
NIMH runs a research department which responds rapidly to emerging issues relating to herb safety, responds to publications in scientific journals, provides a research perspective on stories in the media, operates the yellow card reporting system of adverse events, responds to research-related enquiries from NIMH members, conducts practitioner surveys of members, and conducts systematic reviews of relevant literature.

The Research Group maintains updates on relevant research contacts in NIMH and the wider profession which includes under- and postgraduate work, practice-based research and quality-assurance research undertaken by herb suppliers.

The European Journal of Herbal Medicine
We are delighted to announce that NIMH is reviving The European Journal of Herbal Medicine. The Journal’s Editorial Board are working towards publication later this year.

Web sites for our members
To improve the visibility of herbal medicine and particularly of members of NIMH, we have instigated a project to provide web sites for our members. These sites are fully editable, expandable and contain a full e-commerce (e-shop facility). You can view a sample web site at www.youherbalist.co.uk
All of the text, the few items in the shop and the pictures have been put in as samples. You can change all of this, so each site will look individual.
The NIMH’s new logo will be available for use on your site and there will also be direct links to and from NIMH’s website.

Membership Liaison
NIMH’s has a Membership Liaison Officer who ensures the smooth flow of information between the members and the Institute and assists members where possible. The MLO oversees the Regional Practitioner Groups, maintaining a record of current group co-ordinators and putting new members in touch with their nearest group, and also runs the Membership Awareness Group in conjunction with several other volunteers to the group.

Membership Awareness Group
The Membership Awareness Group (MAG) is a small group of NIMH members who liaise with and disseminate information from the MLO to the regional group contacts. MAG members also act as member liaison for the regional groups and help with the flow of information between the members and the Institute.

Regional Practitioner Groups
Members can join regional practitioner groups or set up one, where fellow herbalists can discuss herbal medicine, practice issues, CPD or offer peer support and guidance to each other.

Members Forum
The Members Forum is NIMH’s e-forum where members may discuss online all matters relating to herbal medicine and the profession. The forum is facilitated by a volunteer and is governed by terms and conditions with which all members agree to comply on applying to join.

Quarterly mailing
Members receive quarterly mailings giving news of the Institute’s activities, quarterly reports from Council and its Committees (Greenleaves), end of year reports, and the Herbal Thymes the Institute’s in-house magazine.

Permanent Head Office
This might not be everyone’s idea of a benefit but we think it is. NIMH runs a full time head office in Exeter which fields thousands of enquiries every year (almost 10,000 in 2007). This means that as a member you can access the Institute during working hours and that a response can be provided quickly to your query.
This also means that a member of the public can easily access help from the expert information service and be directed to their nearest NIMH member practitioner (you) quickly.

External Relations
As a professional association of herbal practitioners, NIMH is actively involved in the political processes relating to the profession through affiliation and liaison with other practitioner associations, government and regulatory bodies. The Institute represents its members on such matters as regulation of the profession, review of medicines legislation, maintenance of professional standards, securing and protecting the criteria for admission to the professional registers amongst many others.

Developmental opportunities
NIMH is governed by its founding Memorandum and Articles of Association which are amended by the Membership through a 75% or greater majority of the votes cast, and also by company and national law. The Council of NIMH is elected by the members and the council appoints volunteers to the committees to carry out the work of the Institute on behalf of the members. Apart from the administration at NIMH’s head office in Exeter all of the activities of the Institute are carried out by volunteers and carry no remuneration.
As a member you may wish to volunteer your services in the support of your practice, your profession, and your professional organisation.

Student Facilities
The NIMH offers a student affiliate scheme which is available to all students on NIMH accredited courses, and on EHTPA accredited Western herbal medicine courses. The scheme can be accessed immediately after enrolment, and aims to provide help and support to herbal medicine students in a variety of ways.
The scheme is promoted and supported by the Student Liaison Officer, who visits all the training institutions at least once a year, and is available to students via telephone and email. Students on each course are encouraged to put forward their own student contact representative, and to engage in NIMH activities as much as possible. The SLO is sometimes accompanied by a volunteer who helps run Initial Professional Development who provides information on the programme.

The National Institute of Medical Herbalists

Tel: 01392 426022
E-mail: info@nimh.org.uk
Fax: 01392 498963

Elm House
54 Mary Arches Street
Exeter
Devon
EX4 3BA