Free Compliance Resource

Is your clinic's marketing
putting your registration at risk?

26 compliance checks every UK physiotherapy clinic should run before the next post, ad, or campaign goes live.

HCPC Registered · No. PH154237 · CSP Member · Practising in London

How to use this: Work through each section and tick items you can confirm. Any unticked item is worth addressing before your next campaign goes live.

01 Google Ads & paid search

No ad copy contains guaranteed outcome language e.g. "fix your back pain", "cure your injury", "guaranteed results", "get better fast"

No ad uses fear-based pressure tactics e.g. "your condition will worsen without treatment", "don't wait or it'll get worse"

No ad contains unsubstantiated comparative claims e.g. "London's #1 physio clinic", "the best physiotherapists in [area]", "rated #1"

No ad references a guaranteed recovery timeframe e.g. "back pain resolved in 3 sessions", "walk pain-free in 2 weeks"

No ad uses the title "Dr" unless the clinician holds a medical or doctoral degree A physiotherapy degree does not confer the right to use "Dr" in advertising

02 Website copy

No page contains outcome claims presented as guarantees Check homepage, services pages, and condition landing pages

No page uses misleading claims about qualifications or specialisms "Specialist" and "expert" require evidence — what qualifications back these up?

Patient results are not presented as typical or guaranteed Individual results vary and this must be clear wherever outcomes are discussed

Pricing is displayed or described as available on request Vague pricing can breach HCPC transparency requirements

HCPC registration number is displayed and accurate

Registered legal name and address are clearly displayed

03 Testimonials & reviews

All testimonials include a variance disclaimer e.g. "Results vary between patients" — this is your liability, not the patient's

No testimonial contains an outcome claim you couldn't substantiate Publishing "I was cured" without a disclaimer puts your registration at risk

No testimonial implies a specific recovery timeframe is typical e.g. "I was back running in a week" — without a disclaimer this implies it's the norm

All testimonials are genuine and from actual patients

04 Social media

No post contains outcome claims or treatment guarantees The same HCPC rules that apply to paid ads apply to organic content

Before/after content includes variance disclaimers Must not imply the result shown is typical

No post uses fear-based language to pressure patients into booking e.g. "if you ignore this, you'll end up needing surgery"

No post uses "specialist" without appropriate post-graduate training evidence

05 Google Business Profile

Business name on GBP matches your registered trading name exactly Adding keywords to your name (e.g. "Chelsea Back Pain Physio") violates Google guidelines and risks suspension

GBP services and description do not contain outcome claims

Review responses don't contain promotional claims or outcome language Your reply to a review is still marketing material under HCPC guidance

06 Professional titles & credentials

"Dr" is only used by clinicians who hold a medical or doctoral degree One of the most common and most serious HCPC advertising complaints

"Physiotherapist" is only used for HCPC-registered clinicians A protected title under the Health Professions Order 2001

Any awards, accreditations, or recognition claims are current and verifiable

CSP membership is only claimed by current CSP members

What your result means

All pass

Your marketing is in good shape. Review again before each new campaign.

1–3 unticked

Common — most clinics have at least one area to address. Straightforward to fix.

4+ unticked

Your marketing carries meaningful compliance risk. An HCPC complaint can result in a formal investigation and, in serious cases, removal from the register.

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Is your clinic's marketing putting your registration at risk?

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Is your clinic's marketing
putting your registration at risk?