Professionalism and Professional Standards for Osteopaths

Most osteopaths who end up in front of the General Osteopathic Council are not poor clinicians. More often, small things slipped: an indemnity policy lapsed for a few weeks, notes were left unfinished until Friday, a CPD log was padded near the end of the cycle, or a clinic's booking targets started to shape treatment plans. This Osteopathic Practice Standards course looks at professionalism as that kind of everyday pattern and shows how the OPS apply inside and outside the treatment room.

Where our ethics course for osteopaths concentrates on moral reasoning in individual clinical decisions, this course looks at how you keep your registration, insurance and competence in order, run or work within a safe clinic, work with other professionals, hold boundaries, manage commercial pressure and respond to a concern. It takes about two hours and ends with a 15-question scenario quiz, a reflective account and a certificate of completion from Healthcare Practise UK.

For the GOsC's CPD rules and fitness to practise process at a glance, see our GOsC regulator page.

• Osteopaths registered with the GOsC, whether principals, associates or sole practitioners
• Osteopaths working in multidisciplinary clinics, sports settings or the NHS
• Clinic owners responsible for systems such as consent forms, records, chaperone policies and complaints
• Associates working under bonus or booking targets who want a clear way to raise concerns
• Osteopaths returning from a break or moving to or from non-practising status
• Osteopaths responding to a complaint or a GOsC concern about conduct, records or professional behaviour

1. Professionalism for osteopaths

Professionalism as a consistent pattern of behaviour rather than clinical skill alone, why it supports referrals from GPs and other professionals, and the GOsC's role in keeping the register, setting the OPS, running CPD and investigating concerns. It includes the GOsC's requirement for continuous professional indemnity insurance, including run-off cover.

2. Core principles in osteopathic practice

Patient-centred care and continuing consent, integrity and honest claims, accountability (including referral and speaking up about unsafe systems), confidentiality at reception as well as in the treatment room, communication, respect and dignity, teamwork, records and reflective practice.

3. The OPS and professional expectations

The four OPS themes, maintaining competence and checking training and insurance before adding a technique such as dry needling, the split of responsibility between principals and associates for safe clinic systems, and why honesty in CPD records matters to public confidence.

4. Boundaries and ethical conduct

How small boundary crossings accumulate, the prohibition on sexual relationships with patients, personal accountability despite clinic targets, online contact, and recording inappropriate behaviour from patients.

5. Breaches, consequences and remediation

Clinical, consent, boundary, financial, probity and administrative breaches; their effect on patients, livelihoods and confidence in osteopathy; the route from screener to Investigating Committee to the Professional Conduct or Health Committee; and remediation that is specific, sustained and evidenced.

6. Professionalism and fitness to practise

What fitness to practise covers (conduct, competence, health, convictions and regulatory compliance), how consistent systems stop slips becoming a pattern, how insight is shown through evidenced change, how to behave during an investigation, and peer support and resilience.

The Osteopathic Practice Standards, in force since 2019, are organised under four themes. The course follows them closely. Always check the current OPS on the GOsC standards website, which take precedence over this course.

The course also explains the GOsC CPD scheme: 90 hours over a three-year cycle, at least 45 hours learning with others, at least one objective activity, at least one activity in communication and consent, and a Peer Discussion Review towards the end of the cycle.

• Time: about 2 CPD hours of self-directed learning, including the reflection and assessment, as stated in the course.
• Cases: practice-based scenarios such as a receptionist confirming an appointment to a caller claiming to be a patient's husband, an osteopath who runs forty minutes late and leaves notes unfinished, and a two-star review that tempts a defensive reply.
• Quiz: 15 scenario-based questions with a pass mark of 12 out of 15 (80%).
• Reflection: three prompts on what you learned, which of your systems (insurance, CPD, records or consent) needs strengthening, and how you will know a change has worked. Answers are stored on your device only.
• Certificate: a certificate of completion from Healthcare Practise UK.

When a concern is about professionalism (insurance, records, CPD honesty, boundaries or how a clinic is run), the GOsC's committees will want to see that you understand what went wrong and have changed how you work. A course helps you build that understanding. It does not prove the change. The course is clear about this: an unrelated certificate is weak evidence, whereas a targeted course combined with a records audit, a revised consent process and reflection on the results is strong.

1. Take the course that matches the concern, then write a reflection in your own words with our reflective statement builder.
2. Change something you can show: a new insurance renewal reminder, a weekly notes-completion slot, a chaperone policy, an audit.
3. If insight is likely to be the focus, add the Insight course; if reflective writing is unfamiliar, the Reflective Practice course helps.
4. Read our conduct and trust remediation pathway for how the courses fit together.

Speak to your indemnity provider, the Institute of Osteopathy or a solicitor early. Healthcare Practise UK is independent, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the GOsC, and cannot predict any outcome.

The natural partner is the ethics course for osteopaths, which goes deeper into consent for undressing and sensitive areas, disclosing material risks, red flags, advertising claims and treatment packages. Together they cover the OPS from both the systems and the individual-decision side. If a concern has been raised, the Conduct and Trust Pack adds trust, professionalism, complaint-handling, insight, reflection and remediation learning.

Use Which course do I need? if you are unsure, or browse the course catalogue.