General Osteopathic Council appoints new quality assurance services provider

The purpose of quality assurance is to ensure that students awarded ‘Recognised Qualifications’, as defined in Section 14 of the Osteopaths Act 1993, are meeting the Osteopathic Practice Standards. As the provider, Mott MacDonald Limited will be expected to carry out quality assurance of osteopathic educational providers and osteopathic qualifications.

Mott MacDonald Limited is a global, employee-owned consultancy, with an experienced team and a proven track record in professional regulation. This appointment follows a tender process which commenced in November 2019 and represents a change in provider for the GOsC from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).

Chair of Council, Dr Bill Gunnyeon, said: ‘This was a rigorous and open competition for which we received considerable interest and we are delighted to appoint Mott MacDonald Limited as our new providers. We are looking forward to working with them and drawing on their valuable experience in UK healthcare regulation and education as we continue to enhance our quality assurance services in the osteopathic education sector.

‘We would like to thank the team at QAA, with whom we have worked successfully for the past fifteen years, for the invaluable contribution they have made in managing our QA processes. They have consistently maintained a high degree of professionalism in delivering quality assurance services.’

The GOsC is working closely with Mott MacDonald Limited and with the QAA to ensure a smooth transition between providers. To help facilitate this, Mott MacDonald Limited’s contract will commence on 1 July 2020 before the QAA contract comes to an end on 31 July 2020.