The Independent Support Service
The Independent Support Service, delivered by Victim Support, has been working with GOsC since 2019 to help support patients, witnesses and osteopaths going through the fitness to practise process.
Victim Support is a national charity which provides a confidential safe space for people to discuss their feelings about the fitness to practise process and talk through what might be expected of them at each stage.
If you are involved in a fitness to practise case and feel you would benefit from the service you can refer yourself into the service by calling 0300 303 1964. The helpline is open 24/7, 365 days a year, with caseworkers available to provide ongoing support Monday-Friday 8am-6pm (excluding bank holidays), or alternatively you can speak to your contact at the GOsC and ask them to refer you into the service.
The support that Independent Support Service can provide is available throughout the fitness to practise process and for three months after the case you are involved with concludes.
How the Independent Support Service can help |
| By Luke Seidel-Haas, Senior Team Leader for the Independent Support Service (Delivered by Victim Support). This was first shared in the May 2022 Fitness to practice ebulletin. |
| Going through the fitness to practise process can be a daunting and uncertain time. You may wonder what is expected of you, what the potential outcome might be, and how you will cope with that outcome. At the Independent Support Service we have been working with healthcare regulators including the GOsC since 2019 to help support patients, witnesses and osteopaths going through the fitness to practise process. As a national charity we have a lot of experience supporting those who are going through traumatic events, which gives us the knowledge and expertise to support clients in an understanding and empathetic way. We provide a confidential safe space for people to discuss their feelings about the fitness to practise process and talk through what might be expected of them at each stage. My colleague Georgia, a team leader for the Independent Support Service said “I’ve heard first-hand the struggles that people face when involved in the process with the GOsC. It can be a very isolating experience, particularly when you’re not sure who you can talk to about what you’re going through. Having that support throughout the process with someone to speak to on a confidential and independent basis can be a real benefit, and can help give you the confidence to carry on with the process. Some people find it helpful to have a regular check-in call with someone from our service as the case progresses, while others find that in the lead up to a tribunal having someone to give them reassurance can be really valuable to them”. The support that our Independent Support Service can provide is available throughout the process and for three months afterwards. If you are involved in a fitness to practise case and feel you would benefit from the service you can speak to your contact at the GOsC and ask them to refer you into the service, or alternatively you can self-refer into the service by calling 0300 303 1964. The helpline is open 24/7, 365 days a year, with caseworkers available to provide ongoing support Monday-Friday 8am-6pm (excluding bank holidays). |
General Osteopathic Council Fitness to Practise and the Independent Support Service - Victim Support
Click on the video below to view it on the GOsC YouTube channel.
In this extract from our Fitness to Practise webinar in May 2022, Sara Brown discusses the Independent Support Service and how it can support osteopaths and witnesses during a fitness to practise process.
