Share your views on guidance for adjunctive therapies

Osteopaths apply a broad range of treatment practices and many incorporate adjunctive or supplementary therapies or other forms of care or treatment into their practice. Some osteopaths also undertake other work unrelated to health and care. The purpose of the Osteopathic Practice Standards (OPS) is to protect patients by making sure that osteopaths always practise in a way that is safe, in patients’ best interests, and maintains confidence in the profession.

We are now consulting on our draft guidance about the application of OPS to adjunctive therapies and also to all other aspects of work that osteopaths might do.

Using fictional case scenarios, the guidance explores some of the issues and challenges that arise for osteopaths, patients and for the profession as a whole, when applying the OPS in different contexts. It acknowledges the diversity of treatment approaches and the ways in which osteopaths might work, and clarifies the requirement for these to be patient-centred and adhere to the OPS across all aspects of an osteopath’s practice.

The guidance is also intended to help inform members of the public and patients as to how osteopaths approach their obligations using the OPS across the different forms of care and treatment they provide. It will act as a reference for Fitness to Practise Committees when considering concerns that osteopaths have failed to meet the requirements of the OPS.

Your feedback will help to inform the final versions of the documents which will be reviewed by Council in July 2022 and published once approved. We will also publish a report about the consultation process and outcomes.

The consultation closes on 11 April 2022.

Read the consultation