We have published our annual performance review of the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). During 2023/24, we conducted a periodic review of the GOsC’s performance against the Standards of Good Regulation (the Standards).
For this period, the GOsC has met 18 out of the 18 Standards. Our report explains how we made our decision.
The performance review is our check on how well the regulators have been protecting the public and promoting confidence in the health and care professions. This year, we have used a new approach to assessing regulators against our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Standard. In order to meet the Standard, regulators must assure us they are delivering the four high-level outcomes supported by our new evidence matrix. The GOsC has met the Standard and has demonstrated good practice in taking action to secure external input into its policy work and in the clear EDI focus of the standards required for registrants, students and Osteopathic Education Institutions.
This year we reviewed a sample of the GOsC’s fitness to practise cases to evaluate the quality of its early-stage decision-making. We reviewed a high proportion of the GOsC’s early-stages closures and considered that a reasonable decision had been reached in the great majority of those cases. Overall, our audit provided assurance that the GOsC has processes and controls in place to ensure robust decision-making at the earlier stages of its fitness to practise process and that those controls are working effectively.
The judgements we make against each Standard incorporate a range of evidence to form an overall picture of performance. Meeting a Standard means that we are satisfied that a regulator is performing well in that area. It does not mean there is no room for improvement. Similarly, finding that a regulator has met all of the Standards does not mean perfection. Rather, it signifies good performance in the 18 areas we assess.
Our reviews do not stop when we press the publish button. They are an ongoing, continuous process and, where we’ve identified areas for improvement, we pay particular attention to these as we continue to monitor the regulator’s performance.
You can find out more about the GOsC’s review in the full report or read through a summary in our snapshot. You can find out more about how we review the regulators here.
ENDS
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Contact: media@professionalstandards.org.uk
Notes to the Editor
- The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees 10 statutory bodies that regulate health and social care professionals in the UK.
- We assess their performance and report to Parliament. We also conduct audits and investigations and can appeal fitness to practise cases to the courts if we consider that sanctions are insufficient to protect the public and it is in the public interest.
- We also set standards for organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations and accredit those that meet them.
- We share good practice and knowledge, conduct research and introduce new ideas to our sector. We monitor policy developments in the UK and internationally and provide advice on issues relating to professional standards in health and social care.
- We do this to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of users of health and social care services and the public. We are an independent body, accountable to the UK Parliament.
- Our values are – integrity, transparency, respect, fairness and teamwork – and we strive to ensure that they are at the core of our work.
- More information about our work and the approach we take is available at www.professionalstandards.org.uk