On this page we explain the model of revalidation proposed in the draft scheme published and consulted on in 2009.
Our poster, Developing a revalidation model for osteopaths, outlines the background to, and the development of, the revalidation scheme. The poster was presented at the Scottish Government's third annual regulation conference in Edinburgh in October 2010.
The GOsC believes that the most pragmatic revalidation scheme would be one that is staged, with an initial self-assessment form at Stage 1, which every osteopath would complete and submit to the GOsC every five years. The self-assessment form would help to identify whether individual osteopaths are meeting the key performance indicators of good osteopathic practice.Additional stages would only apply where Stage 1 had highlighted a concern.
The revalidation scheme would consist of four main stages as outlined below.
A self-assessment is completed by all osteopaths. It tests the key performance indicators of safe osteopathic practice with reference to the GOsC’s Code of Practice and Osteopathic Practice Standards. Osteopaths will be required to list a range of supporting evidence which they may be asked to produce at a later date. The key areas of the self-assessment form are based mainly on an osteopath’s clinical interaction with patients but also relate to important wider considerations of high quality osteopathic care. These are:
An unsatisfactory submission at stage 1 would trigger Stage 2.
This stage is a simple request for further information to clarify the response made at Stage 1 if the information provided is considered to be ambiguous or gives rise to concern. The osteopath may be asked to provide further evidence of the examples cited on the self-assessment form. In addition, as a quality assurance measure, some random sampling of the Stage 1 submissions will take place to ensure that the evidence cited exists. An unsatisfactory outcome to Stage 2 would most likely lead to Stage 3.
Peer review of practice is required as a result of concerns raised at Stage 2. This could take the form of any of the following:
An unsatisfactory outcome to Stage 3 could lead to Stage 4.
A formal assessment of clinical performance – using a procedure similar to the current assessment for final year students at osteopathic educational institutions.
At any stage of the revalidation process an osteopath may be directed to undertake remediation measures in order to be revalidated and re-admitted to the register. The GOsC will not provide remediation but will aim to ‘signpost’ the osteopath to sources of training or other measures aimed at addressing the identified deficiency.
A referral to the GOsC’s fitness to practise procedures could occur at any stage of the revalidation process, in circumstances where a significant level of concern has been identified in relation to the conduct, ethics or performance of an osteopath.
If an osteopath fails to submit requested information or to take the required action at Stages 1– 4, then he/she will automatically be removed from the Register (subject to the same rights of appeal as in other administrative removals). In addition, the osteopath could be removed as a result of a finding by a GOsC fitness to practise panel.
We are also considered broadly how the current CPD scheme could blend with revalidation and we issued a CPD discussion paper in September 2011.