Whether you can continue practising osteopathy during a GOsC fitness to practise investigation, when restrictions arise, what to tell your employer, income protection, and how to use the investigation period to protect your registration
When a GOsC investigation letter arrives, one of the first questions every osteopath asks is whether they can carry on with their practice. In most cases, the answer is yes. But understanding when restrictions arise — and using the investigation period wisely — can make all the difference to how the case concludes.
Receiving a GOsC investigation letter does not restrict your ability to practise osteopathy.
Your GOsC registration remains current and you can continue seeing patients unless and until a formal restriction is imposed through a separate process. The investigation gathers evidence — restrictions on practice are a separate legal step that requires a formal order.
Many osteopaths assume they should stop practising on receiving a GOsC letter. This assumption is almost always wrong and creates unnecessary professional and financial disruption.
The full scope of the GOsC fitness to practise process explains where and how restrictions can arise — and where they cannot.
The GOsC can formally restrict an osteopath's practice through two mechanisms:
CPD Certified — Online — Immediate Access
Absent one of these formal orders, you can continue practising. Restrictions are legal steps that require formal process — not informal decisions that the GOsC makes at the investigation stage. The full range of formal outcomes is set out in the GOsC sanctions guide.
Whether to tell your employer, practice manager, or any organisation you work with about a GOsC investigation depends on your employment or practice arrangements.
Most osteopathic employment and practice arrangements include provisions that require disclosure of regulatory proceedings. Check the specific terms carefully and take advice from the Institute of Osteopathy or a specialist regulatory solicitor before making any disclosure.
Where a formal order includes employer notification requirements, disclosure before returning to practice is a mandatory condition of the order.
Failure to comply with notification conditions is a serious breach with significant consequences. The obligations around maintaining professional standards in practice apply throughout the investigation period.
The position for osteopaths working as locums or in independent practice is the same as for employed osteopaths — absent a formal interim or final order, you can continue practising.
Any organisation conducting GOsC register checks will see formal orders immediately. Professional indemnity arrangements typically include disclosure requirements for regulatory proceedings — check the specific terms and take advice before continuing to practise in any new setting.
The most effective approach to a GOsC investigation is to treat the investigation period as an intensive period of professional development. Start CPD immediately —
targeting the GOsC Standard of Proficiency most relevant to the concern. Begin a reflective practice log. Arrange supervision where appropriate. Build the evidence file that will be assessed by the case examiners.
The guide to GOsC CPD evidence explains exactly which courses carry most weight and how to present them most effectively.
The osteopaths who achieve the best GOsC case examiner outcomes are those who use every week of the investigation period to build genuine, targeted evidence — not those who wait for the process to unfold.
Where a formal interim order restricts or prevents osteopathic practice, income protection becomes an immediate practical concern. Options include: professional indemnity and income protection insurance policies; any practice agreement provisions for regulatory proceedings; exploring non-clinical professional activities —
teaching, writing, CPD delivery — permitted under any interim order; and Institute of Osteopathy member support resources. Early financial planning at the beginning of the investigation is far more effective than crisis management after income is lost.
Continue practising — maintain your professional standards throughout, document your practice carefully, and complete CPD from day one. The combination of ongoing compliant practice and progressive evidence of professional development is the strongest possible foundation for a good case examiner outcome.
The guide to GOsC remediation evidence sets out exactly how to build that foundation during the investigation period.
UK-registered healthcare professionals can access professional ethics training through Healthcare Ethics Courses.
Professionals with connections to Canada can consult professional development in Canada.
Those with connections to Ireland can review ethics training in Ireland.
10 CPD-certified courses for £500. Start CPD from day one of any GOsC investigation — the most powerful evidence you can build while continuing to practise.
Bulk Buy 10 Courses →Yes — in most cases. An investigation letter does not restrict your registration. You can continue practising unless and until a formal interim or final order is imposed through a separate legal process.
Through a formal interim order — where urgent restriction is needed before the investigation concludes — or through a final conditions, suspension, or removal order following a Professional Practice Committee hearing.
A temporary formal restriction imposed before the investigation concludes — either interim suspension (preventing all practice) or interim conditions (restricting practice in specified ways). Applied for urgently where an immediate patient safety risk is identified.
Check your employment or practice arrangement. Most include disclosure requirements for regulatory proceedings. Take Institute of Osteopathy advice before making any disclosure. Where interim order notification conditions apply, disclosure before returning to practice is mandatory.
Yes — absent a formal order. GOsC register checks by organisations will reveal any formal order immediately. Check professional indemnity disclosure requirements and take advice before practising in any new setting.
Not unless a formal order requires it. Stopping practice without legal obligation creates unnecessary disruption. Continue practising to your normal professional standards and document your practice carefully.
Building remediation evidence — CPD, reflective accounts, supervision. The osteopaths who achieve the best case examiner outcomes are those who use every week of the investigation period productively.
The investigation itself does not appear on GOsC register checks — only formal orders are publicly recorded. An open investigation does not prevent you from practising or show up in routine checks.
Professional indemnity and income protection insurance; practice agreement provisions; non-clinical activities permitted under any interim order; Institute of Osteopathy member support. Plan early — at the beginning of the investigation.
An interim suspension prevents all osteopathic practice from the date it takes effect. You cannot work in any capacity requiring GOsC registration during an interim suspension. Working in breach is a criminal offence.
Absent a formal order, yes. Continue practising to your usual professional standards and document carefully. Build remediation evidence from day one.
The Institute of Osteopathy (iO) provides regulatory support, professional indemnity coverage, and wellbeing support to members. Contact the iO immediately on becoming aware of any GOsC concern.
Contact the Institute of Osteopathy or a specialist regulatory solicitor before responding to the GOsC or taking any other action — and start CPD that day.
This guide is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Seek independent legal advice from a solicitor experienced in GOsC regulatory proceedings.
