Osteopathy: Working in collaboration 
In 2012 the main institutions and organisational bodies in osteopathy came together with the purpose to consider the future development of the osteopathic profession. This forum for collaboration is called the Osteopathic Development Group (ODG).
The forum aims to identify areas of development that are best served by a collaborative leadership approach by the main osteopathic organisations, to build a growing and thriving profession, with improved access to osteopathic care for the benefit of public health. Represented on the forum are:
Osteopathic Development Group Initiatives
Since its inception, the ODG has seen to fruition several key initiatives that have supported the development of the osteopathic profession.
The PROMs project team sought to find validated and standardise approaches to capture patient-reported outcomes of osteopathic care. The project team developed a digital data capture app that allows patients to record their responses to osteopathic treatment. First piloted in 2015, the PROMs project is now reporting on data throughout the UK, showing high satisfaction and outcomes for osteopathic care. It is now being widely adopted in Europe. For more visit Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
Authored by respected paediatric osteopaths, key elements of paediatric osteopathy practice were identified and mapped against relevant frameworks from other professions and the Osteopathic Practice Standards, and published in the ‘Guidance for working with children and young people’. The guide provides a framework for identifying CPD in paediatric osteopathy and includes links to high-quality learning resources and a self-assessment tool for self-directed learning. Learn more here.
This project developed a range of practical support services facilitating the growth in osteopathic networks creating stronger local, regional and special interest community hubs of osteopathic learning and practice across the UK. For more visit Osteopathic Communities.
Mentoring provides a professional support framework for those at an early stage of their careers, but with benefits for those more establish osteopaths too. The project developed a dedicated online platform that allows mentees to source an appropriate mentor and is supported by appropriate training and resources to support osteopaths on their mentoring journey. For more visit the Mentoring hub.
This project focused on the creation of a leadership development programme specifically designed for osteopaths and aimed at significantly enhancing the leadership capacity within the profession. Since the programme’s inception, approximately 60 osteopaths have passed through the programme.
The first phase of the career development project was to map how osteopaths currently progress their careers. This information is now being utilised to form the basis of the next phase of this project to determine how the profession can develop increased career opportunities and pathways, post-registration. You can read a report on the findings of the first phase of the activity here.
Want to know more?
If you think you have a role to play in helping the group achieve its aims, please contact Matthew Rogers, Head of Professional Development at the iO and ODG programme Coordinator.