The Statutory Register of Osteopaths

In the United Kingdom, the title 'osteopath' is protected by law and as such it is a criminal offence, liable to prosecution, for anyone to claim expressly or by implication to be any kind of osteopath unless registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). ­ Current Statistics.

If you have gained a qualification in the UK and wish to register with the GOsC, then please refer to the information provided below. If you have gained a qualification from outside of the UK, then please refer to our Non-UK Qualified section for further information.

To register with the GOsC you must hold a qualification in osteopathy, gained from a GOsC accredited course after 8 May 2000 (if your qualification was gained prior to this date, then please contact the Registration Secretary for further information). In addition to proof of qualification, you will be asked to submit the following:

• A character reference – this must be from a person in a professional occupation such as an accountant, teacher, dentist or similar, who has known you for at least 4 years.
• A health reference – this must be signed by a GP who has known you for at least 4 years.
• A Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check – valid for 6 months after issue. The profession of osteopathy is an excepted profession for the purposes of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Therefore all convictions will be taken into account including those that would otherwise be 'spent'.
• A registration / retention fee (for full registration, this will be £375 in your first year on the register, rising to £500 in your second year and £750 from your third year onwards.)

You will also need to obtain adequate Professional Indemnity Insurance, the minimum cover acceptable being £2.5 million.

Contact the Registration Secretary for a registration application pack.

New Graduates

New graduates should note that it is not sufficient to have gained your qualification in order to begin practising osteopathy in the UK. You must wait until you have gained your registration, otherwise you will be committing an offence and will be liable for prosecution. Your registration application form may be requested from the Registration Secretary in the three months prior to graduation, so that you may begin the registration process. However, the GOsC cannot process your application until after you have graduated.

Indemnity Insurance

To practise osteopathy in the UK, you must be adequately covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance, to ensure that patients are protected should anything go wrong during treatment. The Osteopaths Act 1993 states that an osteopath must be insured for a minimum of £2.5 million.

Professional Indemnity Insurance may be purchased from any insurance provider, as long as it meets the minimum criteria outlined by the GOsC Professional Indemnity Insurance Rules 1998. Below is a list of UK insurance providers whose policies meet the requirements of the General Osteopathic Council:

• Balens Insurance Brokers
• Howdens Insurance Brokers
• Three Counties Insurance Brokers
• Towergate Medical Insurance Agency (MIA)

Information about Public Indemnity Insurance can also be obtained from the British Osteopathic Association.

If you are a practising healthcare professional registered with an appropriate regulatory body and your existing insurance meets the requirements above, you may not need to obtain separate cover for osteopathy. Please refer to your indemnity insurer for further advice.

Annual Renewal of Registration

One of the prime functions of the GOsC is to protect the public and ensure that osteopaths on the Statutory Register continue to practise to high standards of competence and safety. Registration is granted for a period of 12 months, after which point you will need to renew your licence to practise. You will be asked to declare any health problems, criminal or civil proceedings and your compliance with continuing professional development requirements. You will also need to provide details of your current professional indemnity insurance and pay your renewal fee.

Identity Cards

To reassure patients, the GOsC has introduced a voluntary identity card for osteopaths, which can be used when making home visits. The GOsC would like to encourage patients to ask for identification in much the same way as they would with a police officer or council official.