Verification and assurance

The GOsC randomly selects 5 to 10% of osteopaths each month to look at evidence of their CPD, such as records of the activities they have completed, and to provide feedback and support and answer any questions about the CPD scheme.

Why this process is needed

This process helps us to understand how osteopaths are responding to the three-year CPD scheme and the impact this might be having on their patients.

Speaking to osteopaths about their CPD activities and their experience of the scheme also allows us to understand whether we need to provide further support to the profession to help them meet the requirements of the scheme.

What the process involves

If you are among the 5 to 10% of osteopaths who are chosen as part of this process, we will contact you by email to explain:

• you will need to provide us with evidence of your CPD activities (often this is just one piece of evidence related to any of the CPD activities you have completed)
• the date by which we need to receive your evidence, which is one month from the date you receive the email
• who in GOsC you can contact if you have any questions or concerns

Once we have received your evidence we’ll simply check that it demonstrates that you have completed the CPD activity in question. For example, if you have provided us with evidence of your objective activity, we will check the information you have provided clearly shows us you have completed this activity.

If we think anything is missing from the information you have sent us or we need some additional evidence or information, we’ll send you another email asking for this.

Once we feel the information you have provided clearly shows that you have completed the CPD activity in question, we’ll send you a final email to confirm this.

Many osteopaths have already been through this process successfully. GOsC’s Registration and International Applications Officer Lorraine Palmer has written a blog explaining how osteopaths have been responding to this process and what we are learning from their feedback.

To make sure you feel prepared for this process, in the event you are one of those who are randomly chosen, it is important to keep your CPD records up-to-date and safe. Further information about keeping CPD records is available on our website.

Remember

If you are chosen as part of the verification and assurance process please remember:

• we want to help and support osteopaths to meet the requirements of the scheme, so if we find that an osteopath has not provided sufficient evidence of their CPD activity, we will work with you and support you to meet these requirements
• you do not need to send us all of your CPD evidence or records, only the one piece of evidence we request
• we do not look for a specific number of words to be included as part of your evidence – your evidence just needs to clearly show that you have completed the CPD activity in question.

You can read this blog to find out more about what counts as evidence of CPD.

You can also read our full guidance on verification and assurance for more details.