Osteopath removed for claims to treat cancer

Osteopath removed for claims to treat cancer

The Professional Conduct Committee of the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) concluded on 15 May 2013 that Mr Dick Wyatt should be removed from the UK’s statutory Register of osteopaths.

Practising as an osteopath in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Mr Wyatt had made a number of inaccurate and misleading claims in his LinkedIn profile and on a blog about his ability to treat or cure life threatening diseases, such as cancer, Parkinson's Disease and Motor Neurone Disease. He also invited readers to call if they were desperate and the NHS could not assist them.

The GOsC’s Professional Conduct Committee concluded that Mr Wyatt's behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with being an osteopath, with serious breaches of the profession’s Code of Practice. The Committee’s view was that ‘his behaviour amounted to cynical attempts to prey on vulnerable and desperate people’, and that such claims damage public trust and confidence in the osteopathic profession.

As a consequence, Mr Wyatt was found to be guilty of Unacceptable Professional Conduct and the Committee decided it was necessary to remove Mr Wyatt from the Register of osteopaths in order to protect the public.

The formal decision of the GOsC’s Professional Conduct Committee on this case can be found at: www.osteopathy.org.uk/news-and-resources/document-library/fitness-to-practise/pcc-iso-decision-wyatt-15-may-2013/ 

Mr Wyatt has a right of appeal against this decision in accordance with section 31 of the Osteopaths Act 1993.

ENDS

For further information, contact:
The GOsC Press Office
Tel: 020 7357 6655 ext. 245
Email: pressoffice@osteopathy.org.uk 

Notes to editors:

The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) has a statutory duty to regulate the practice of osteopathy in the UK. Osteopaths must be registered with the GOsC in order to practise in the UK. 

Visit our website at: www.osteopathy.org.uk for more details.