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Privacy and cookies

Any information that we obtain will only be used in accordance with this privacy policy.

Where the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) has disclosed information regarding individuals it has done so in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Osteopaths Act 1993, including those statutory instruments made thereunder, and in accordance with other relevant legislation.

Our Data Protection Registration Number is Z6742530.

This policy will be updated from time to time, and you are advised to check these pages regularly to ensure you know what our up-to-date policy is.

The data we hold, how we use and who we share it with

Registration information
What we hold

We hold information about osteopaths who are registered with us, students in the final years of their studies, applicants for registration and osteopaths who are no longer registered.

For registration purposes, we hold personal information, details about qualifications and other relevant evidence of entitlement to registration. For registered osteopaths we also hold information about an osteopath’s continuing professional development activities.

We hold data about an osteopath’s health and criminal convictions if they have told us this information as part of their application. We hold information about fitness to practise concerns that arise while a student is studying to become an osteopath. This information is provided by students and educational institutions.

We hold financial information such as bank details relating to osteopaths’ annual fee payments.

Why we hold it

We are required under the Osteopaths Act 1993 to maintain a register of osteopaths. We are responsible for making sure osteopaths on the Register are suitably qualified.

We hold this information so we can contact osteopaths, students and applicants about their registration, annual retention fee payment and any fitness to practise investigations. We also contact osteopaths and students with relevant news and other information to support their practice, such as new guidance, and activities and events relevant to their professional development.

How we share it

We are required to make some of this information publicly available on the Register of Osteopaths. We share non-public registration information with relevant third parties, including individuals contracted to undertake assessments on our behalf, where appropriate.

We share information about whether an osteopath is subject to investigation under our fitness to practise procedures when it is necessary to assist an organisation with its functions or legitimate interests, as part of the litigation process or to protect the health and wellbeing of the public. This will include other healthcare regulators and law enforcement agencies.

With the consent of osteopaths, students and applicants we will share personal data with selected organisations for the purpose of obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Fitness to practise investigations and sanctions information
What we hold

We hold information about fitness to practise complaints, investigations of complaints, records of hearings, and records of the outcome of our investigations including sanctions.

We hold information about patients, including medical records, where it has been provided, with consent, as part of a complaint or is necessary for our investigation.

Why we hold it

We are required under the Osteopaths Act 1983 to investigate fitness to practise concerns.

We also use this data to help us understand more about the types of concerns that arise in practice and those osteopaths who may be subject to a complaint.

How we share it

Information about hearings and sanctions are published on the GOsC website. You can find more information about how we publish fitness to practise information, including relevant time periods, in our Fitness to Practise Publication Policy.

We distribute regularly a list of recent sanctions to bodies in the UK and abroad who have a legitimate or statutory interest in this information.

We are required to provide information about fitness to practise cases closed at the investigation stage and final fitness to practise hearings to the Professional Standards Authority for their statutory purposes.

Education quality assurance
What we hold

We hold information about current and former students and staff of educational institutions, and patients treated in student clinics. We only hold this information if it has been provided to us by the individuals themselves or by an academic institution in relation to our quality assurance functions. This information may relate to admissions, academic attainment, and feedback and complaints.

Why we hold it

We quality assure educational qualifications in osteopathy in accordance with the Osteopaths Act 1983, which includes ensuring that only students who meet our standards receive a ‘Recognised Qualification'.

How we share it

We share this information with the Quality Assurance Authority for Higher Education which provides education quality assurances to the GOsC.

Research
What we hold

The personal data we use to carry out our regulatory functions can also be used for research to support these functions. This includes demographic information (including equality and diversity data), employment and fitness to practise history, and details of complaints.

Why we hold it

We conduct and commission research on a range of topics to support our regulatory functions related to registration, fitness to practise, osteopathic education and training, and osteopathic practice.

How we share it

We share personal data with researchers if necessary. We only share what is needed for the research, using secure methods and anonymised where possible.

With the consent of registrants we share their contact details with authorised students and researchers undertaking research projects.

Patient Involvement Forum
What we hold

We host a range of patient engagement activities on a variety of topics related to our regulatory functions and policy development to ensure that the patient voice is at the heart of everything we do. As part of the process, we record the names, contact information, and equality and diversity data of individuals, as well as the input they provide to our work.

Why we hold it

We hold this information so that we can keep in touch with individuals about patient engagement related activity and to understand the diversity of those with whom we engage.

Consultations and policy development
What we hold

We run consultations and similar activities on a range of topics related to our regulatory functions and policy development. As part of the process, we record the names, contact information, and equality and diversity data of individuals, as well as the input they provide to our work.

Why we hold it

We hold this information so that we can keep in touch with individuals about the outcome of consultations and related activity and to understand the diversity of those with whom we engage.

Working for the GOsC
What we hold

We hold a range of personal information, including data on protected characteristics, supplied to us by applicants for jobs with the GOsC as well as non-executive roles including our Council and Committees. We also hold appraisal information relating to our staff and non-executives.

Why we hold it

This information is essential for the effective management of our recruitment processes and to understand the diversity of applicants and appointees to roles with the GOsC, as well as our ongoing human resources functions.

How we share it

This information is shared with relevant third parties only with the consent of applicants and appointees.

Your rights

Accessing your data

You can ask for a copy of the information we hold about you. Details of how you can obtain your data can be found on our Freedom of Information page.

Controlling how we use your data

You have the right under the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 to control how we use your data, by asking us to delete it or limit how we use it.

You should be aware that there are exemptions from these rights. We do not have to delete information if we are using it for our statutory functions and have legitimate grounds to continue using the data. There are strong public interest and patient safety grounds for us to process personal data in line with our privacy policy and other policies.

We do not have to delete information or stop using it for research purposes if doing so would impair our research objectives.

Your rights as a Patient Involvement Forum member

Your participation in patient engagement activities is entirely voluntary and we use your data with your consent. If you would like us to delete your data at any time, please contact: dpo@osteopathy.org.uk.

If you are a member of the Patient Involvement Forum and you ask us to delete your data, this would mean that you would no longer be part of the Patient Involvement Forum and would no longer receive information from us.

Retention periods for personal data

Our Data Retention Policy explains how long we will keep personal data for.

Our contact details

The data controller for this personal data is the General Osteopathic Council. The Data Protection Officer is Matthew Redford. You can contact the Data Protection Officer by email: dpo@osteopathy.org.uk.

Complaints

If you are unhappy about how we use your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

The Register of Osteopaths

Under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018, the reproduction and use of names and addresses on this website for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited.

Information about your use of this website

This website may automatically collect anonymous information about your visits, such as your Internet service provider, your browser, how long you stay on the site and what pages you visit. None of this information can be linked to you and is used by us to monitor general use of the website and help improve the website by identifying which sections are most and least used.

For instance, if we know which sections are most often used and which are visited less often and for less time, we can make changes that will enable the website to better meet the needs of our diverse range of visitors.

For more information about how this information is collected using cookies and how you can restrict or block cookies, see our Cookies page.

Other websites

This website links to other websites and you should be aware that the privacy policies of other websites may be different to, and are not the responsibility of, the GOsC.

The information on this page was last updated on Tuesday, 29 June 2021.