General Osteopathic Council welcomes EU plans on patients’ rights

Published: 07/24

LONDON, UK - (HealthTech Wire) - The European Commission announced proposals that will give patients rights to access healthcare treatment elsewhere in Europe. This package, as part of a renewed social agenda, consists of a draft directive on cross-border healthcare and measures to promote cooperation between Member States. The intention is to provide legal certainty for patients, Member States and healthcare providers, following a series of European Court of Justice rulings on this issue.

Commenting, Evlynne Gilvarry, Chief Executive & Registrar of the General Osteopathic Council – the UK regulator of osteopaths – said:
“A clear framework for cross-border care is welcome, but this should not be at the expense of patient safety. As both patients and healthcare professionals move increasingly within the EU, there is a need for greater patient protection through proper regulation and high standards of treatment.

"Currently osteopathy is regulated in only four EU Member States – Finland, France, Malta and the United Kingdom. For this reason, national registers and competent authorities came together as the Forum for Osteopathic Regulation in Europe in 2005 to develop a consensus on standards of osteopathic education, training and practice with the aim of protecting patients and enhancing confidence in osteopathic professionals.

"Despite these efforts, in any future law we will be calling for:

• a Europe-wide approach to communication and information sharing (such as registration and fitness to practise data) between Member States, and

• regulatory mechanisms across Europe to ensure standards of osteopathic care for patients."

The draft directive on cross-border healthcare will now go through the EU’s legislative process, and it is expected to take at least two years before becoming law.