Starting a conversation: developing our new strategy

Over the past twelve months GOsC staff, Council members and other members of our governance structure have been reflecting on and discussing our performance as a regulator so that we can identify opportunities for improving how we work in the future.

We are keen to share where our thinking is taking us and the areas that we may explore. We also want to encourage the profession to provide us with feedback in response to our early thinking.

Taking a reflective approach

We at GOsC are very much committed to embracing the concept of continuous improvement and learning and we are keen to engage with osteopaths, patients and other key groups to help us in this process. The reflective approach we have been taking mirrors how osteopaths undertake their continuing professional development – we identify opportunities to learn from our actions and then make plans to improve our performance.

For example, we have been reflecting on the recent positive achievement of meeting all 18 of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care’s Standards of Good Regulation – and this is now for the twelfth year in a row. While we are pleased with this recognition, we know that there is always more that can be done and this is where our focus is now turning. 

Reflecting on our performance has helped us identify that we need to make better use of data and insight. One example of us looking to improve in this area has been through the pilot with osteopaths on the collection of equality monitoring information.

Additionally, we know that we need to hear more of your views and those of our key stakeholders which is why we will be running two perception surveys in the coming months – one with osteopaths and other key groups, and one with patients. These surveys will help inform and guide our future direction and work, so do watch out for these and please take the opportunity to have your say when these are launched.

Developing our next Strategic Plan

Our current Strategic Plan: Together, protecting patients, runs until 31 March 2024. We want to start conversations with osteopaths, education providers, patients, and other key groups about what our new strategy and future direction towards 2030 should look like. We will be talking more about our strategy development throughout 2023 and putting some opportunities in place to encourage and support input from the profession and patients.

To develop our new strategy, we would like to explore a number of areas. Our early thinking is that these might include, for example:

1. Exploring the relationship between regulators and regulated professionals and how this may impact on trust.
2. Developing a clear set of values and exploring how we might work towards ensuring these resonate with osteopaths, patients and other key groups.
3. Considering to what extent our values influence all that we do as an organisation.

Share your early thoughts

We will be saying more about the development of our next Strategic Plan in the coming months, however, in the meantime, if you have any thoughts that you would like to share with me about the areas we are considering exploring, or any other thoughts about the plan, please don’t hesitate to contact me via info@osteopathy.org.uk