ABSTRACT
The Osteopaths Bill, which passed its third reading in the House of Commons on 7 May, was described by parliamentarians as the largest private Member’s Bill ever to be brought to a successful conclusion. The major change resulting from the Bill will be that osteopaths no longer practice under Common Law; from the date on which the Act becomes law the practice of osteopathy will be controlled by a new General Osteopathic Council, established under the auspices of, and responsible to, the Privy Council. Some schemes presently pay for subscribers’ treatment at the hands of osteopaths, but BUPA has been reviewing its policy for more than a year and has yet to include osteopathy within its benefits framework. It is possible to foresee that the Act has significant implications for the osteopathic profession itself. Osteopaths are frequently associated, in the minds of the public and other professions, with the treatment of low back pain.
