Our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging framework
We are committed to promoting equity, valuing diversity, embracing inclusivity and creating belonging, and supporting osteopaths to do the same in their practice.
The information on this page is also available in Welsh: Ein Fframwaith Tegwch, Amrywiaeth, Cynhwysiant a Pherthyn
Our approach to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) is critical to the successful delivery of our Strategy, through to 2030. In the video linked below, our Chief Executive Matthew Redford talks about our framework for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.
Our EDIB framework (2024-30) builds on the progress we made following the launch of our previous, and very first, framework for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in 2021. Since then, we have:
- revised our Graduate Outcomes and Standards for Education and Training, setting expectations for education providers to create a safe culture for their students and educators that enables speaking up against discrimination, which we check through our quality assurance processes.
- ensured that all osteopathic students see a diverse range of patients as part of their clinical training, as required in the Graduate Outcomes and Standards for Education and Training
- updated our Equality Impact Assessment governance process to make sure we are systematically reviewing the impact of our policies and processes on those with protected characteristics and additional needs, and Welsh speakers
- co-funded research into the experiences of under-represented groups in education and training to understand how to better support and ensure a safe and supportive culture exists for all students and educators
- published guidance on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for osteopaths, including resources to support CPD
- continued to evaluate the impact of the CPD scheme for those with specific protected characteristics to ensure that it is fair and inclusive
- offered additional support to members of our Patient Involvement Forum to make sure all members have the opportunity to take part without barriers
- changed the way we advertise for our non-executive (Council and Committee) positions, and as a result, have continued to see an increase in the diversity of applicants, across the full range of protected characteristics
- joined the Pride in London march in 2022 and 2023 to demonstrate our support and allyship for the LGBTQ+ community
Towards 2030 we hope to work with the osteopathic profession and patients to achieve progress against the objectives in our framework, for example by:
- gaining a better understanding of health inequalities within the wider society and using our influence to articulate how osteopaths are positioned to help address those inequalities
- demonstrating that our registration processes are fair and free from bias and that any individual involved within a registration application decision has been appropriately trained on EDIB
- publishing an Annual Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Report to inform the healthcare and osteopathic sector by providing an analysis of the data we collect and the work we undertake.
- having a more accessible website which provides information to patients, osteopaths and stakeholders in a variety of formats, ensuring that we are inclusive of different learning styles and needs
- making sure all decision makers in GOsC and those we work with undergo regular, context specific training on EDIB to ensure that our decisions are fair, proportionate and free from bias and discrimination
Read our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging framework to find out more about our current position, where we want to be in 2030 and how we hope to get there.
