New European standards agreed for osteopathy

In the past, standards of osteopathic care have varied from country to country which has resulted in the need for more consistent levels of service to increase patient safety.

The Forum for Osteopathic Regulation in Europe (FORE) has been working in conjunction with the European Federation of Osteopaths to fund and develop blanket standards across Europe for the profession with the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).

CEN is the lead organisation for developing standardisation across Europe whose members agreed three years ago to create a project committee to build a European standard relating to osteopathic services.

As a result of this work, a new set of standards have now been agreed and will come into force across Europe from 2016.

What do the new standards mean for patients?

Patients will not notice any different in the treatment they receive. The guidelines are for practising osteopaths to adhere to and relate to both patient safety and high standards of care.

The new regulations do not replace existing laws in the administering of osteopathy but it will set in stone minimum standards expected of osteopaths operating in a country which currently has no form of professional regulation. The standards will address expected levels of education, training and practice for any osteopath.

The move has been warmly welcomed by the General Osteopathic Council , the UK ’ s professional body for registered osteopaths. It is seen as a positive step to positioning osteopathy at the forefront of primary healthcare.

What is current UK legislation relating to osteopathy?

Osteopaths are legally obliged to be registered with the General Osteopathic Council before practicing in the UK.

The General Osteopathic Council regulates osteopathy in the UK, working closely with members of the osteopathic industry and the wider public to enhance safety standards.

Any osteopath practicing within the UK and who is not registered with the General Osteopathic Council is committing an offence for which there are serious repercussions.

Members of the public who want to check whether the osteopath they have been recommended is registered to work in the UK can do so by visiting the General Osteopathic Council’s website.

Further information including how long an osteopath has been registered and their clinical experience is also available in the section called ‘ Practitioner Details ” .