GOsC welcomes CHRE report on continuing fitness to practise

The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) welcomes the CHRE’s publication ‘An approach to assuring continuing fitness to practise based on right-touch regulation’ available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk/docs/psa-library/november-2012—right-touch-continuing-fitness-to-practise.pdf. The report confirms that regulators must explain how they know registrants continue to meet minimum standards of conduct and competence (whilst also supporting improved quality of care).

The report recognises that mechanisms for achieving this should be proportionate, and helpfully outlines the sorts of factors that may contribute to an assessment of risk and reliability. Appropriate responses include regulatory mechanisms such as ‘revalidation’ at one end and self-audit and continuing professional development at the other end, in the context of the other activities the regulator undertakes.

The GOsC continues to be committed to developing a proportionate system to support osteopaths in demonstrating that they are up to date, continue to be fit to practise and are meeting the Osteopathic Practice Standards.

There will be further consultation during 2013 on effective proposals for doing this, taking into account the report of the recent GOsC revalidation pilot and the responses to the CPD Discussion Document, as well as this CHRE publication.