The profession’s perceptions of GOsC
We commissioned an independent research company, DJS Research, to explore how osteopaths, students, educators and partner organisations perceive GOsC, including how we perform our role as regulator.
We wanted to know the extent to which the profession understands our role, and how they think we are performing as the regulator, to identify where we need to focus our resources, and where we need to make changes.
We put strengthening trust at the heart of our Strategy for 2024 to 2030. We wanted to be able to measure how much the profession trusts us now and their views of us, to help us improve and measure the impact of our ongoing work.
The research, carried out between January and June 2024, involved a survey for osteopaths and students, in-depth interviews with osteopaths, students and educators, and focus groups with partner organisations. The survey received 629 responses in total (from osteopaths and 11 responses from students), and 24 people took part in the interviews. In addition focus groups and in-depth interviews were carried out with key partner organisations and educators.
Overall, the findings showed:
- Individuals with a clearer understanding of our role and remit tend to be more positive than those who have a lower level of understanding.
- The majority of respondents to the survey had negative perceptions of the GOsC (64%), around a quarter (24%) were neutral, and 11% were positive.
- ‘Fear’ and ‘necessary’ were the two most common words associated with GOsC.
- A third of those that responded to the survey (33%) said they have some trust in the GOsC or trust the GOsC completely; a fifth (19%) neither trust nor distrust the GOsC and almost half (46%) don’t trust the GOsC at all or have little trust in the GOsC.
- There were common misconceptions among osteopaths, students and educators about our role. The most common belief was that GOsC lobbies the government on behalf of osteopaths (59%), followed by advocating or educating the public on the benefits of osteopathy (50%).
- Those with positive views of GOsC tended to have more direct experiences with the organisation, whereas those with negative views tended to be influenced more by the experiences of others in the profession.
- There is a general lack of awareness of some of the work GOsC is doing to support and engage with the profession, for example attending regional group events and visiting students during their education.
As a result of these findings, the report recommends that GOsC:
- Consider developing communication and education campaigns to improve understanding of the GOsC’s core functions, addressing common misconceptions directly. This should include clear, accessible explanations of what the GOsC does and does not do.
- Continue and expand efforts to engage directly with osteopaths and students, such as attending regional meetings and visiting universities. Ensure these activities are well-publicised to increase awareness.
- Work to rebuild trust by being transparent about decision-making processes and the rationale behind regulatory actions. Highlight positive outcomes and case studies where possible.
- Review and adjust the tone of communications (eg insurance, registration, fitness to practise). Specifically in relation to Registration cases, to take into account cases which could involve genuine mistakes or extenuating circumstances where appropriate. In addition provide more information and clarity on process and timelines for the fitness to practise process which can be a very stressful time for osteopaths.
- Increase awareness of the Independent Support Service and other resources available to osteopaths during the fitness to practise process. Ensuring that osteopaths know about and can easily access these services may mitigate some of the fear associated with fitness to practise.
- Explain more clearly how decisions to remove osteopaths support the reputation of the osteopathic profession; consider providing additional resources to help osteopaths undergoing investigation to understand the process, where they are and any next steps.
These recommendations will inform the work we are doing in response to the findings, including short and longer term plans to help us build trust, reduce fear and tackle the misconceptions held about our role. In our response we are focused on being clear about what we can and cannot do, making sure our communications and guidance is clear, helpful and informative, and making sure those who want to contact us can do so quickly and easily.
