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"The Prince of Wales is pushing for an acceptance of complementary medicines and urging medical watchdogs to regulate their professions in order to better protect patients. Two years ago the Coalition pledged to bring in an official register of practitioners of herbal and Chinese medicines, which would see therapists regulated alongside other health care workers. It followed two public consultations which found overwhelming support for the proposals. But ministers have blocked the proposals, instead setting up a new committee – which has just secretly drawn up plans to spend a further 18 months re-examining the matter. Prince Charles is said to be increasingly frustrated about "delay tactics" which mean that the proposals may not be published until next year and then would be highly likely to be cast aside again as an election looms. Well-placed sources said that the Prince was passionate about integrated health policies and the proper regulation of complementary as well as mainstream medicines. He is understood to have raised his concerns with Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, during a meeting at Clarence House...A spokesman for the Department for Health said that its officials had been working with the UK's devolved administrations since 2011 in order to determine how best to "balance public protection with consumer choice" in herbal medicine and had set up the working group because the issues involved were complex." The Telegraph (19th January 2014)