Growing the UK’s chiropractic workforce

Chiropractors diagnose, treat and prevent mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, improving general health and making a big difference to their patients’ lives. They are professionals whose skills are in high demand.

To meet this demand, we need to ensure we are training and registering the right number of chiropractors. This starts with understanding the profession’s current workforce capacity, so that we can pipeline for future growth in registrant numbers.

Research goals

The UK Workforce Development Project is a multi-arm study which is looking into the lifecycle of a chiropractor.

Starting with awareness amongst school students and careers advisors, project surveys aim to understand if chiropractic is a career option for those looking to become healthcare professionals, and how they are supported by their school careers advisors.

Current chiropractic students are asked about why they decided to study chiropractic, whilst data from the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) explores applicant numbers and demographic trends over the last nine years.

The General Chiropractic Council’s registrant data base will be explored to build a picture of where chiropractors practice, how long the average chiropractor practices for and the average age that chiropractors leave the register. Data from the profession about the demand for their services and the capacity they have to see patients, as well as why chiropractors leave the register, will complete the main data set.

This data will be used to forecast the number of chiropractors over the next five years and create a strategic plan for the profession’s growth.

Team and collaborators

The principal investigator of the project is Health Sciences University’s Dr Philip Dewhurst, Associate Professor in our School of Chiropractic. Supporting Philip are students undertaking a research placement at HSU and colleagues from other chiropractic courses in the UK.

Key findings and progress

To date, data has been collected from UCAS and current chiropractic students, with data collection from school pupils and careers advisors underway.

The data analysed so far shows that applicant numbers for chiropractic courses in the UK experienced significant growth during the years of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this has since declined and reverted to levels last seen in 2018. This reduction in applicant numbers mirrors that seen in other healthcare professions over the same period of time.

The majority of applicants studying chiropractic in the UK are male and aged 18-23 years. They tend to come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and have studied a variety of subjects prior to enrolling on their chiropractic course. Although the majority are from the UK, applicants come from all over the world including Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

 Funding and support

This project is funded by the Royal College of Chiropractors and the General Chiropractic Council.

Impact and applications

The project will culminate in the creation of a strategic plan for the UK chiropractic profession and how it can meet its workforce needs over the next five years.

 Get involved

HSU students can apply to get involved with this project through their research placement, offered in their final year of study.

For further information about the project, contact Dr Philip Dewhurst (Philip.dewhurst@hsu.ac.uk).