General Osteopathic Council fitness to practise: complaints, investigations, interim orders, hearings, sanctions, voluntary removal, reviews and appeals (United Kingdom)

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Practice notes

Who is the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)?

The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) is a corporate body established by the Osteopaths Act 1993 (OA 1993) with the overall role of advancing and overseeing the profession of osteopathy, with an overarching purpose, first and foremost, of protecting the public by:

protecting, promoting and upholding the public’s health, safety and wellbeing
promoting and sustaining public trust in the osteopathic profession, and
promoting and preserving appropriate professional standards and conduct among its members

This Practice Note outlines and provides guidance on GOsC fitness to practise processes, procedures and proceedings, inquiries and investigations, and applications for restoration to the Register. It is a criminal offence to call yourself an ‘osteopath’ without being registered with the GOsC. For clarity and ease of reference, this Practice Note should be read alongside Practice Notes: Common principles in fitness to practise proceedings and Criminal proceedings and convictions in healthcare regulatory proceedings, and with the specific Practice Note for each of the following healthcare regulators:

the General Medical Council—fitness to practise proceedings
the General Pharmaceutical Council—fitness to practise proceedings
General Optical Council—fitness to practise proceedings
the Health and Care Professions Council—fitness to practise proceedings
Nursing and Midwifery Council Proceedings—fitness to...

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Victoria Shehadeh

2BR

Victoria’s experience spans regulatory work, criminal work and statutory inquiries. Victoria has a keen interest in regulatory work, with a particular focus on professional discipline of healthcare professionals. She enjoys a busy case load which includes acting for both healthcare regulators and for professionals who face the daunting prospect of appearing before their regulator. When defending healthcare professionals, Victoria provides advice at the early stages of proceedings in order to secure the best results for clients in what can be a lengthy and difficult process. Victoria is also regularly requested to act as a case presenter. Victoria is experienced in handling sensitive cases, multi-registrant cases, cases involving sexually inappropriate behaviour, dishonesty and mismanagement of care homes.Victoria has served on the counsel team to the Undercover Policing Inquiry since 2018. Victoria defends and prosecutes both in the Crown Courts and...

Web page updated on 27/05/2026

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