Managing your health and wellbeing

Managing your health is a professional responsibility because it can affect the care you provide to your patients. However it is also important to find support for your mental health and wellbeing, especially if you are involved in or affected by a fitness to practise investigation.

What the Osteopathic Practice Standards say

The Osteopathic Practice Standards, D11 state that:

‘You must ensure that any problems with your own health do not affect your patients.’

Supporting guidance states that:

‘You must not rely on your own assessment of the risk to patients. If you know or suspect that your physical or mental health is impaired in a way that might affect the care you give to patients, you must: seek and follow appropriate medical advice on whether you should modify your practice and in what way.’

Most health conditions will be managed locally by osteopaths and their medical advisors and in most cases, it is not necessary to take further steps to inform the GOsC, provided patients are safe.

When to inform the GOsC about your health

If you are unwell enough that you are unable to practise safely because of your health condition, you must stop practising and inform the GOsC. This is to ensure that both patients and you are protected. The GOsC Health Committee sits in private and is designed to provide support to the osteopath and to protect the public.

The supporting guidance to D11 in the Osteopathic Practice Standards states:

‘if necessary, stop practising until your medical adviser considers you fit to practise again and (1.3) inform the GOsC.’

Resources to support your health and wellbeing

If you need support, consider these resources: