Margaret Coats, Chief Executive and Registrar of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), has announced her retirement. Margaret has worked with CNHC for 13 years initially joining in 2012 to assess CNHC’s trading position and operational model. She leaves in December.
Margaret has been a very active member of the Accredited Registers Collaboration, having served as its previous Chair for seven years, and a strong supporter of integrating complementary and natural healthcare with mainstream NHS. Having also watched, help shape and responded to both the development, and the reviews, of the Professional Standard’s Authority Voluntary Accredited Register, Margaret deserves a well-earned rest and a much more relaxing retirement.
More broadly Margaret has been a significant influence in the field of complementary and natural healthcare, including securing formal recognition for a number of complementary therapists as healthcare practitioners during the extended period of the Covid pandemic. This enabled therapists to continue providing support and care to clients in their care during very challenging, uncertain and stressful times.
Iain McInnes, CNHC Chair said: “Margaret Coats has been the Chief Executive and Registrar for CNHC for longer than I have served on the Board. I have had the great pleasure, and pride, to work with her over the last six years. During this time I have learnt a deal more about complementary and natural healthcare; benefited from her guidance and experience; and seen first hand Margaret’s passion for high standards, ensuring our registers remain fully accredited and our role in public protection maintained. It has been a huge privilege to work with her. On behalf of the CNHC and the Board I would like to thank Margaret for her service and commitment and wish her the very best for a happy and healthy retirement.”
As we enter a new phase for CNHC the difficult task of finding a replacement Chief Executive begins this month; we will make an announcement regarding any appointment later in the year.
SEPTEMBER 2025