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  5. In brief: summary of 11 October Council meeting

In brief: summary of 11 October Council meeting

1 November 2011

Report of the latest Council meeting, including updates on NCOR and the recruitment campaign for the new Chair.

11 October 2011 – 73rd meeting of the General Osteopathic Council

The agenda and all related papers can be found on this website at www.osteopathy.org.uk/about-us/the-organisation/meetings/ 

Chair’s recruitment campaign

A total of 28 applicants had applied for the Chair’s post. Final interviews of shortlisted candidates would be taking place on 31 October with an appointment announced in November.

Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) Annual Report

David Plank, the Chair of the PCC, presented an annual report from the Committee. He highlighted a number of aspects of the Committee’s work and made the observation from the Committee that some osteopaths, while developing strengths in particular areas of practice, for example cranial osteopathy or applied kinesiology, were falling short of the standard expected in basic areas of practice such as examination and record keeping.

Interim Suspension Orders Guidance

Council considered proposed Interim Suspension Orders Guidance which will help osteopaths, legal representatives, professional bodies and members of the public to understand the procedures that are followed when determining whether to impose an Interim Suspension Order. The finalised guidelines will be made available shortly on the GOsC website.

National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) future governance and funding

Council received details of the proposed new funding arrangements for NCOR for the next three years and changes to the way in which NCOR was governed. The Osteopathic Educational Foundation and the British Osteopathic Association had both committed to £25,000 and £20,000 per year respectively for the next three years. Council agreed to funding from GOsC of £25,000 for 2012-13 and in principle to £25,000 for the following two years. It is hoped that the osteopathic education institutions will finalise their own contributions shortly. A new governance structure with a Council, a Director and a small Management Board will mean that there will be clearer lines of accountability for NCOR’s work. Recruitment for the new Director is due to commence in the Autumn.

Law Commission – review of the regulation of healthcare professionals

Council received a presentation from the Law Commission on the current review of the regulation of healthcare professionals. This project, commissioned by the Department of Health, will lead to a new consolidated Act of Parliament covering the current nine regulators. The main areas under initial consideration by the Commission are: governance; maintenance of registers; standard setting for education, training and practice; fitness to practise; and the role of the Privy Council (which currently approves all GOsC rules and appointments).

Regulatory reform

Council received an update on the work undertaken in response to the Government’s policy statement Enabling Excellence including an outline of work to date on cost savings within GOsC.

Measuring the GOsC’s performance
The Council considered ways in which the overall performance of the GOsC could be measured and reported on to the Council and agreed to pilot a ‘balanced scorecard’ with a view to developing a more detailed approach in conjunction with the next Corporate Plan for the period 2013-16.

Future Council meetings

January and March 2012 – dates to be confirmed

Meetings begin at 10am at Osteopathy House. Agendas and papers for the public session are available at www.osteopathy.org.uk/about-us/the-organisation/meetings/ 7 to 10 days before the meeting.