Ethics and Ethical Standards for Chiropractors

About this course

Ethical questions arise in chiropractic practice every day. How much should a patient be told about the rare risks of neck manipulation? Is it right to offer maintenance care when the evidence for it is limited? What should happen when a 15-year-old asks for treatment without a parent, or when an older patient with dementia seems unsure what is being proposed? How should a practitioner respond when a treatment goes wrong? This course focuses on the ethical principles and reasoning that help chiropractors answer questions like these.

It explains the four core principles of healthcare ethics and how they apply to manual therapy, the ethical dimensions of evidence and uncertainty, the GCC's Code of Professional Practice, integrity in advertising and records, the duty of candour, patient-centred care and shared decision-making, consent and capacity, safeguarding, boundaries, and how to respond to ethical breaches. It complements, but does not repeat, the companion course on professionalism for chiropractors.

For GCC CPD purposes, this course is self-directed learning. It can count towards your 30 hours for the CPD year, but not towards the 15 hours of learning with others unless completed as part of an interactive group session. Discussing the ethical dilemmas with colleagues is an excellent way to turn it into learning with others.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Explain the core principles of healthcare ethics and apply them to chiropractic care.
• Use a structured approach to work through ethical dilemmas.
• Communicate honestly about evidence, uncertainty and risk.
• Apply the GCC Code of Professional Practice to ethical decisions.
• Obtain valid consent, including from children and adults who may lack capacity.
• Recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• Apply the duty of candour and keep honest, accurate records.
• Respond to ethical breaches with reflection, insight and remediation.

Who this course is for

Chiropractors registered with the General Chiropractic Council, including those responding to an ethical or fitness to practise concern.

Course content

10 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment)

Format

Self-paced reading with ethical dilemmas, case illustrations, reflection points and a written reflective account

Standards covered

GCC Code of Professional Practice (in effect from 1 January 2026); GCC CPD requirements; law on consent and capacity in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; safeguarding legislation; ASA and CAP guidance

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course