Common misunderstandings about the GOsC

This isn’t true. We don’t do this as we are only allowed to do what is specifically set out in the Osteopaths Act, and this doesn’t include lobbying government. Lobbying for the profession is a role carried out by a membership body. The Institute of Osteopathy (iO) is the membership body for osteopathy. Some professions have a larger number of membership bodies but within osteopathy it’s just the iO. Find out more about the iO

In fact we are not allowed to do this. We are only allowed to do what is specifically set out in the Osteopaths Act. This sort of promotion was removed from the Act in 2008 and is now carried out by a membership body, so within osteopathy this is the Institute of Osteopathy (iO). The iO works hard to promote osteopathy. A core part of what we do as the regulator as well as protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of the public is to set standards for osteopathic education and training, and promote high standards of practice. This provides confidence to patients that osteopaths are qualified, regulated healthcare practitioners, working to high standards of practice and conduct. Find out more

Not true at all! Concerns usually get raised by members of the public, including patients; other osteopaths; employers of osteopaths; students of osteopathy and other health professionals. Many osteopaths are surprised to know that only about 25 concerns about osteopaths go through to the Investigating Committee to consider each year, and only about half of these go all the way to the Professional Conduct Committee. Find out more

Not true! It is only in cases involving very significant sexual boundary issues, police charges for a serious offence or situations when patient care falls to low standards that an osteopath might be stopped from practising until the case is completed. This is called an interim suspension order (ISO). It’s only the Investigating Committee that can make a decision to impose an interim suspension order, it’s not a decision that GOsC staff or screeners can make. You’re not stopped from practising unless you have an ISO, and it’s rare that these are needed. Find out more

Not true – we know that going through a fitness to practise process can be a daunting and uncertain time. This is why we work with a charity who provide a totally anonymous Independent Support Service. This is completely separate from the GOsC and offers a confidential safe space for people to discuss their feelings about the fitness to practise process they are going through. It also gives them another opportunity to talk through what might be expected of them at each stage. The helpline is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Find out more

This isn’t true! In reality it’s about which profession you belong to and not which regulator you are registered with. The government decides which professions are given the right to prescribe and the right to administer medicines under a patient group direction (PGD). A PGD allows some registered health professionals to supply and/or administer certain medicines to a pre-defined group of patients, without them having to see a prescriber. Prescribing and administering rights are given and updated by the government through amendments to Medicines legislation including the Medicines Act 1968, the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Find out more

In fact, osteopaths are involved in making decisions throughout our concerns process. Independent osteopaths known as screeners review concerns to see if we can investigate, and osteopaths sit on our Investigating Committee, Professional Conduct Committee and Health Committee to make decisions about the outcome of fitness to practise investigations. You can find out more about the Fitness to Practise process on our website.

The GOsC Council is made up of five lay (non-osteopath) members and five osteopath members, and they are all independently appointed by the Privy Council. Council members play a central role in the strategic direction and policy decisions of the GOsC, helping to make sure we fulfil our role in regulating osteopathy in the UK.

Actually, we spend over £26,000 each year to allow osteopaths and students in their final and penultimate years of education to have access to research journals through Elsevier, including the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. For 2025-30 we have also set aside £150,000 to contribute to the funding of the National Council for Osteopathic Research. Projects currently funded by the GOsC and run by NCOR include one that is looking at the enablers and barriers to becoming an osteopath, and one looking at why people leave the Register and the profession, to inform and support different approaches to recruitment retention in the profession in the future.