It is the legal duty of the General Osteopathic Council to set the standards of competence and conduct that are expected of osteopaths. Our main responsibility is to protect the public and maintain public confidence in the profession and the osteopaths we regulate.
By fitness to practise we mean that osteopaths should have the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their job effectively, they should have the health and character to practise safely and competently, and they can be trusted to act legally and responsibly.
The guidelines for the safe and competent practice of osteopathy are set out in two documents, our Code of Practice, which came into effect in 2005, and Standard 2000 – Standard of Proficiency.
Our Regulation Department is responsible for establishing and maintaining the standards of professional competence and conduct. It handles complaints about the fitness to practise of osteopaths on the Register, which can lead to a hearing before the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC).
Our Fitness to Practise reports, published annually, include details of the decisions made by the PCC and any sanctions applied. When the committee investigates an allegation and decides that it is not well founded, the osteopath can ask for this to be recorded in the next Fitness to Practise report.
We welcome comments and feedback about this website and the information on it. If you have any comments or if you have not been able to find the information you want in this section or on the website as a whole, please contact us by using the form on the Contact us page or by emailing info@osteopathy.org.uk.
