The Statutory Register of Osteopaths

In the United Kingdom, the title ‘osteopath’ is protected by law and, as such, it is a criminal offence, liable to prosecution, for anyone to claim expressly or by implication to be any kind of osteopath unless registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). Current Statistics.

If you have gained a qualification in the UK and wish to register with the GOsC, please refer to the information below.  If you have gained a qualification from outside the UK, please visit our Non-UK Qualified section for further information.

New graduates should note that it is not sufficient to have gained your qualification in order to begin practising osteopathy in the UK.  You must wait until you have become registered, otherwise you will be committing an offence and will be liable to prosecution.  Your registration application form may be requested from the Registration Secretary at any time during the three months prior to graduation, so that you can begin the registration process as soon as possible.  However, the GOsC cannot process your application until after you have graduated.

• Qualifications gained in the UK after 8 May 2000

• Qualifications gained in the UK on or prior to 8 May 2000

• Professional Indemnity Insurance

• Criminal Records Bureau check / other police check

• Annual Renewal of Registration

• Identity cards

Qualifications gained in the UK after 8 May 2000

If you hold a qualification in osteopathy, gained from a GOsC accredited course after 8 May 2000, you will be asked to submit the following:

• Proof of your qualification (this will usually be provided directly by your university for newly graduated students, but if not then a certified copy of your qualification will be required).
• A completed GOsC registration form.
• A completed GOsC character reference form – this must be from a person in a professional occupation such as an accountant, teacher, dentist or similar, who has known you for at least 4 years.
• A completed GOsC health reference form – this must be signed by a GP who has known you for at least 4 years.
• A Criminal Records Bureau or other police check – this will only be valid for 6 months after issue.  
• Your registration fee (this will be £375 in your first year on the register, rising to £500 in your second year and £750 per year from your third year onwards).

• A passport-sized photograph if you require an identity card.

• Proof of adequate Professional Indemnity Insurance - the minimum cover acceptable being £2.5 million.

Contact the Registration Secretary for a registration application pack.

Qualifications gained in the UK on or prior to 8 May 2000

On 9 July 2008, a new section, Section 3 (6A), was added to the 1993 Osteopaths Act. Section 3 (6A) provides the opportunity to register with the GOsC for individuals who did not register during the original registration period (9 May 1998 – 8 May 2000).  Under the new power, a person may be able to register with the GOsC if he/she meets the following criteria:

• he/she obtained a qualification in osteopathy in the United Kingdom before
  9 May 2000;
• he/she practised as an osteopath before 9 May 2000;
• he/she has not practised as an osteopath in the United Kingdom on or after 9 May 2000;
• he/she has a good reason for not having made a successful application for registration during the transitional period; and

• he/she is capable of the competent and safe practice of osteopathy.

If you believe you may fit the criteria for applying for registration with the GOsC under the new power and may wish to do so, please download and complete our questionnaire and return it to the Registration Secretary by 31 December 2008.  The questionnaire does not form part of the formal application process, but is simply aimed at helping us identify more accurately the profile of likely applicants.  This will in turn help us in our preparations to implement the new power.

The GOsC will not be in a position to accept applications under the new power before the underpinning rules have been drafted and ratified by the Privy Council.  We hope to be in a position to receive applications from April 2009.

We draw your attention to the fact that the new registration period created by this power extends until 31 December 2010 and applications must be submitted by that date.  As part of the registration process, applicants will be assessed to ensure they meet the osteopathic practice standards in force at the time.  These are outlined in the GOsC’s Standard of Proficiency and Code of Practice.

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Professional Indemnity Insurance

To practise osteopathy in the UK, you must be adequately covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance, to ensure that patients are protected should anything go wrong during treatment. The Osteopaths Act 1993 states that an osteopath must be insured for a minimum of £2.5 million.

Professional Indemnity Insurance may be purchased from any insurance provider, as long as it meets the minimum criteria outlined by the GOsC Professional Indemnity Insurance Rules 1998. Below is a list of UK insurance providers whose policies meet the requirements of the General Osteopathic Council:

• Balens Insurance Brokers (British Osteopathic Association members only)
• Howdens Insurance Brokers
• Three Counties Insurance Brokers
• Towergate Medical Insurance Agency (MIA)

Information about Public Indemnity Insurance can also be obtained from the British Osteopathic Association.

If you are a practising healthcare professional registered with an appropriate regulatory body and your existing insurance meets the requirements above, you may not need to obtain separate cover for osteopathy. Please refer to your indemnity insurer for further advice.

Criminal Records Bureau or other police check

As an osteopath you may work with children and/or vulnerable adults and therefore, as part of your registration, you are required to have a criminal records check which, in the UK, is performed by the Government agency the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

A CRB disclosure application form will be issued to you by Assuramed Healthcare Ltd, which processes all CRB checks on behalf of the GOsC.  You will need to complete and return this form to Assuramed Healthcare Ltd, which will arrange for your check to be completed by the CRB.  The CRB will provide details of any convictions held on the UK police national computer.  Osteopathy as a profession is excluded from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so all convictions will be listed whether spent or unspent.  Further information about the CRB is available on its website.

If you lived outside the UK before applying for registration with the GOsC, you will be asked to provide an additional police check in respect of the country you were previously resident in.

Annual Renewal of Registration

One of the prime functions of the GOsC is to protect the public and ensure that osteopaths on the Statutory Register continue to practise to high standards of competence and safety.  Registration is granted for a period of 12 months, after which you will need to renew your licence to practise.  You will be asked to declare any health problems, criminal or civil proceedings, and your compliance with continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.  You will also need to provide details of your current professional indemnity insurance and pay your renewal fee.  In the future, the GOsC will introduce a Revalidation scheme, which will be linked to re-registration.

Identity Cards

To reassure patients, the GOsC has introduced a voluntary identity card for osteopaths, which can be used when making home visits.  The GOsC encourages patients to ask for identification in much the same way as they would with a police officer or council official.  To obtain an identity card, you should include a passport-sized photo with your application for registration.