Join the BCA

If you’re studying for a chiropractic undergraduate degree accredited by the General Chiropractic Council (GCC), you can join the BCA for free! 

We have a dedicated Student and New Graduate Committee, comprising current and recent undergraduates, to help us understand and meet the needs of this important community.  

Student members get some of the same great benefits as ‘practising’ members, access to free BCA webinars, plus reduced rates at BCA events. Our annual webinar programme includes events aimed at the student and new graduate community. 

New graduates get subsidised membership and insurance fees for the first couple of years after graduation to help make the transition between university and work less stressful. 

Find out more about BCA membership for Students and New Graduates
 

If you’re a professional chiropractor (or a recent graduate who’s about to start your first job) you can join the BCA as a practising member at any time during the year. We’ll pro-rate the membership and insurance fees so you only pay for the relevant months of practise during your first year of membership.  

Please note: You must allow at least four full working days between submitting your application and the date you want your insurance cover to begin. This is particularly important if you are a first-time GCC registrant.  

For first-time GCC registrants or those returning to the GCC Register: Your GCC registration and insurance cover must be in place before you start practising as a chiropractor. 

Find out more about what BCA membership can offer professional chiropractors.

If you’re a chiropractor who does NOT practise in the UK but wishes to join the BCA to keep up to date with the association and what’s happening within the UK chiropractic profession, you can join as a non-practising member. 

You may be: 

• On the GCC register as non-practising.
• Not currently on the GCC register.
• Located and practising overseas. 

If you do practise in the UK – even if only periodically – you can join as a Practising Member. 

If you’re still studying towards your degree in chiropractic, you can join as a Student Member. 

BCA membership and insurance renews on 1 January each year. Renewal documents are usually sent to each member during November, so it’s important to make sure your contact information is up to date. 

Your renewal communications will always include information about the current year’s achievements, and what we hope to achieve in the future. Rest assured that we continue to strive to support our members in delivering top-quality patient care by providing advice, support, and CPD opportunities for members at all stages of their professional life.  

We also continue to advocate for the profession with our public affairs and policy work to raise awareness within the government and the wider public of how chiropractic can help with the MSK crisis. 

Visit the 'About your renewal' page to find out more.
 

You can cancel your membership at any time. Simply contact us at enquiries@chiropractic-uk.co.uk  

In your email to us, please let us know your intended last date of practise under our membership and insurance (as applicable) and your reason for leaving. 

Why do you need this information? 

Membership subscriptions and insurance premiums operate on a pro-rated basis, meaning that it’s important to know when you wish to cease your membership (and insurance) to determine the nature of any refund owing. Your reason for leaving will determine whether you qualify for run-off cover.  Please note that if you notify us of a leave date that is in the past, the nature of any refund will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, as several factors will be taken into consideration. 

Our fees calculator will give you an idea of how much the membership and insurance cost will be for the full year, but the actual cost will depend on the year you graduated and the month you join. If you teach, this will also affect the cost. If in doubt, feel free to contact us.

You can pay in full by card or bank transfer, or you can set up a direct debit* and split the cost over 10 months (from January to October) at no extra cost. 

*if you join later in the year, you may need to pay the remainder of your first year’s membership and insurance in full and then set up a direct debit for the following year, but we will give you all the options when you join. 

No. We will calculate the fees on a pro-rata basis, so you only pay for the months you’re insured (and in membership) for that first year. 

It’s not a requirement of the insurer to know where you work (your insurance covers you, not your place of business) unless you use your clinic address as your correspondence address. However, telling the BCA about your work location(s) means we can list the clinic(s) on our Find a Chiropractor tool allowing patients to find you. 

The GCC requires all practising chiropractors to have indemnity arrangements in place to cover them for any claims made against them. 

BCA insurance covers you for claims made by patients and insurance-backed defence costs at the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). 

It also offers a bespoke complaint-handling service, providing guidance from experienced, specialist insurance advisors. 
Visit our BCA Insurance Services* page for more details.

*BCA Insurance Services is a trading name of Lloyd & Whyte Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. 

You can cancel your membership at any time. Simply contact us at enquiries@chiropractic-uk.co.uk  

In your email to us, please let us know your intended last date of practise under our membership and insurance (as applicable) and your reason for leaving. 

Why do you need this information? 

Membership subscriptions and insurance premiums operate on a pro-rated basis, meaning that it’s important to know when you wish to cease your membership (and insurance) to determine the nature of any refund owing. Your reason for leaving will determine whether you qualify for run-off cover.  Please note that if you notify us of a leave date that is in the past, the nature of any refund will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, as several factors will be taken into consideration. 

Yes! We have a maternity leave facility, which means that your insurance cover and membership of the BCA continue free of charge for up to 12 months, subject to no work being carried out during that period (except for ‘Keeping in Touch Days’). Please refer to page 7 of our insurance information pack for more details. 

Simply email us at enquiries@chiropractic-uk.co.uk as soon as you know the exact date that you’ll stop working and start your maternity leave. You will need to notify us in good time before returning to work.

If you’re unwell or have had an accident leaving you unable to work for a month or more, please let us know as soon as possible as there may be some options we can offer to help you. Individual circumstances will differ, so please contact us to find out more.