Standards of Osteopathic Training & Practice

Osteopathic Practice Standards Consultation The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) is committed to ensuring that the standards that apply to osteopaths are kept under review and updated when necessary to ensure that they continue to offer adequate protection to the public and that they are as clear as possible to follow.

Arising from a recent comprehensive review of the standards, the GOsC has produced revised Osteopathic Practice Standards for consultation.  The revised Osteopathic Practice Standards are aimed at replacing the Standard 2000 – Standard of Proficiency, originally published in 1999.

We would welcome your views on the draft Osteopathic Practice Standards. 

In the consultation document, the questions about each of the Osteopathic Practice Standards are at the end of the relevant section and you can type your answers directly into the box below each question.  There are two general questions at the end of the document. 

If you do not have time to answer all the questions at once, you may find it helpful to save the consultation document on your own computer desktop, so that you can fill it in at your convenience and then send it in to us when completed.

Once you have typed in your answers, click on the Submit button at the end of the document to email your response to standards@osteopathy.org.uk.

In order to download these consultation documents you will need Adobe Reader on your computer. Click here to download a free copy of Adobe Reader software.

The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) has a legal duty to determine the standards required for the competent and safe practice of osteopathy.

The standards of competence expected of an osteopath were originally outlined in the document Standard of Proficiency in April 1998.  This was replaced in 2000 by Standard 2000 – Standard of Proficiency.  A valuable tool for osteopaths, the document guides individual practice and helps to identify areas for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). It is also used to assess standards of osteopathic courses, ensuring that osteopathic educational institutions (OEIs) produce graduates who are competent to begin practice.

Code of Practice for Osteopaths

The Code of Practice for osteopaths, which came into effect in May 2005, sets out the standards of conduct and practice expected of osteopaths. It replaced the Code of Practice - Pursuing Excellence, first published in June 1998 and updated in 2002, and was issued as part of the fitness to practise guidance from the GOsC.

The revised Code reflects changes within healthcare regulation and standards, changes in laws relevant to osteopathy, and the need for comprehensive guidance in certain areas of practice.

The Code is not a set of rules governing all aspects of conduct in every possible circumstance. Instead it offers guidance based on principles that can be extended to most professional situations. It includes advice on the expectations of patients and the public.

Accompanying the Code are two leaflets - Obtaining consent and Visual and audio recordings of patients. Forms for obtaining patient consent to treatment and to make/use/keep visual & audio recordings of patients are also available.

These documents provide further in-depth guidance to help osteopaths meet and work above the standards set in the Code, and are supplied together as part of the Fitness to Practise folder.

The GOsC has a legal obligation to review and monitor the standards of training in institutions offering pre-registration osteopathic qualifications.  All training courses which meet the required standards are awarded a Recognised Qualification (RQ) by the GOsC.  The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) manages the RQ review and monitoring process on behalf of the GOsC.  This process has been a collaborative development between the GOsC and the QAA.  Further details of the review method may be found on the QAA website.