The GOsC has a legal duty to ensure that osteopathy in the UK is practised competently and safely. This page explains the standards of competence, conduct and continuing education osteopaths must adhere to in their practice.
The standards of practice expected from an osteopath are outlined in our document Standard 2000 – Standard of Proficiency and the standards of conduct they should adhere to are set out in the Code of Practice.
We are committed to ensuring that standards of practice are kept under review and updated when necessary. In 2009 we consulted on draft revised Osteopathic Practice Standards and began to review the Code of Practice.
A report on the results of the practice standards consultation is available in The Osteopath for February/March 2010. Following the consultations it was decided to integrate the further development of the practice standards and Code of Practice and we will be consulting on these towards the end of 2010.
We also make sure that osteopaths keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date with our lifelong learning programme of continuing professional development.
Along with all other healthcare regulators we are required to develop and implement a scheme for revalidating our registrants' practice. A draft revalidation scheme for osteopaths was consulted on in 2009 and a report on the results of the consultation has been published. It is planned to pilot the scheme in 2011, followed by further consultation, before implementing it in 2013. For more information see our Revalidation page.
In the rare event that a patient believes an osteopath has failed to meet the high standards that we set, the Council can provide advice and where appropriate help the patient make a formal complaint. The GOsC has the authority to give osteopaths an admonishment, impose conditions on their practice, suspend them from the Register for a fixed period, or to remove them from the Register if they are unfit to practise.
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.
