The General Osteopathic Council (Professional Conduct Committee) (Procedure) Rules Order of Council 2000

Presentation of the Case U.K.

Cases relating to conviction U.K.

26.—(1) In cases relating to conviction the order of proceedings shall be as follows—

(a) the Solicitor shall be requested to adduce evidence of any conviction and its circumstances;

(b) evidence of a conviction may be adduced by the production of a certified copy of a certificate of conviction relating to a criminal offence;

(c) if in respect of any conviction, no evidence is so adduced, the Chairman shall announce that the conviction has not been proved;

(d) the Chairman shall ask the osteopath whether he accepts each conviction of which evidence is adduced and in respect of such accepted conviction the Chairman shall announce the conviction to have been proved;

(e) in respect of convictions not so accepted, the osteopath or his representative may address the Committee and adduce both oral and documentary evidence to show that he was not the person convicted;

(f) thereafter the Solicitor may, with the Committee’s leave, seek to rebut any evidence of the osteopath by adducing evidence to that effect;

(g) the Solicitor and then the osteopath or his representative may address the Committee.

(2) On conclusion of the proceedings in paragraph (1) above, the Committee shall consider each conviction alleged in the complaint other than those admitted or announced to be not proved and shall determine whether or not each such conviction is proved and the Committee shall then announce its determination.

(3) Where the Committee have found that a conviction has been proved or a conviction has been admitted, the Chairman shall—

(a) invite the Solicitor to address the Committee and to adduce any further evidence as to the circumstances leading up to the conviction, and as to the character and previous history of the osteopath; and

(b) invite the osteopath or his representative to address the Committee by way of mitigation and adduce any further such evidence.

(4) The Solicitor and the osteopath, or his representative, shall, if appropriate, be invited to address the Committee on whether the criminal offence in question has any material relevance to the fitness of the osteopath concerned to practise osteopathy.

(5) The Committee shall then proceed in accordance with rules 35 to 39.

Cases relating to conduct or incompetence U.K.

27.—(1) In cases of conduct or incompetence the Chairman shall ask the osteopath whether he admits any or all of the facts alleged and, in respect of any such facts so admitted, the Committee shall record a finding that those facts have been proved.

(2) Where all the facts are admitted the osteopath or his representative may submit that in respect of any complaint where the facts have been admitted, those facts are insufficient to support a finding of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence.

(3) Where such a submission is made, the Solicitor may answer that submission and the osteopath or his representative shall have the right of reply.

(4) The Committee shall consider and determine whether to uphold the submission and if it does, the Committee shall record and announce a finding that the osteopath is not guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence in respect of the matters to which the complaint relates.

(5) If none or some only of the facts are admitted or if the Committee does not uphold any submission under rule 27(4) above, the Committee shall proceed as follows–

(a) the Solicitor shall be requested to open the case against the osteopath by presenting the facts alleged on which the complaint is based and by then adducing any evidence of the facts alleged and which have not been admitted by the osteopath;

(b) any witness called to give evidence may be cross-examined by the osteopath or his representative and re-examined by the Solicitor;

(c) if on any allegation no evidence is adduced the Committee shall record and announce a finding that the osteopath is not guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence in respect of that allegation.

(6) When the Solicitor has closed his presentation of the case, the osteopath or his representative may submit—

(a) that in respect of the facts alleged but not admitted in the complaint no sufficient evidence has been adduced upon which the Committee could find the facts proved;

(b) in respect of any allegation the facts adduced or admitted are insufficient to support a finding of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence, and

where such submission or submissions are made, the Committee shall proceed in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (4) above.

28.—(1) The osteopath or his representative may then address the Committee concerning any allegation that remains and may adduce evidence either documentary or oral, including his own, in his defence. U.K.

(2) The osteopath or any witness called on his behalf may be cross-examined by the Solicitor and re-examined by the osteopath or his representative.

(3) At the end of the evidence of the osteopath the Solicitor may with the leave of the Committee adduce evidence to rebut any evidence adduced by the osteopath or his representative.

(4) The Solicitor may then address the Committee following which the osteopath or his representative may also address the Committee.

Consideration by the Committee U.K.

29.  The Committee shall then consider the case in private and determine whether the facts alleged in the complaint have been proved to their satisfaction by the evidence.

30.  If it so determines it must next decide whether the facts as proved amount to unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence. U.K.

Announcement of the finding U.K.

31.  All parties to the case having reassembled, the Chairman shall announce the Committee’s findings and its reasons for those findings, with regard both to the facts of the case and to whether the osteopath has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or of professional incompetence.

32.  Where the Committee finds the complaint not to be proved the Chairman shall announce this finding and the reasons for it and dismiss the case. U.K.

Plea in mitigation U.K.

33.—(1) Where the Committee has found the complaint proved, either in whole or in part, the Chairman shall invite the Solicitor to address the Committee as to any additional circumstances leading up to the unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence and as to the character and previous history of the osteopath.

(2) He shall then invite the osteopath or his representative to address the Committee by way of mitigation and the osteopath may adduce oral or documentary evidence to support mitigation.

Questions by the Committee U.K.

34.  At any stage during the proceedings before the Committee, any member of the Committee or the legal assessor may with the Chairman’s permission question those presenting evidence or any witness called.

Consideration of sanctions U.K.

35.  In any case where the Committee has found a conviction proved or has made a finding of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence either in whole or in part, and has heard any plea in mitigation, the Committee shall consider in private what sanction, if any, it shall apply to the osteopath.

Announcement of sanction U.K.

36.  When all parties to the case have reassembled, the Chairman shall announce the Committee’s decision with regard to sanctions.

37.  In any case where the Committee has imposed conditions on or suspended the registration of a practitioner for a specified period, the Chairman shall also indicate— U.K.

(a) that the Committee shall review the case at a review hearing before the end of that period; and

(b) what information it shall require at the review hearing.

38.  The Committee shall notify the osteopath of its decision, its reasons for reaching that decision and of his rights of appeal. U.K.

39.  The Committee shall also notify the complainant of the Committee’s decision and of its reasons for reaching that decision. U.K.

Interim Suspension Orders U.K.

40.—(1) Where a case has been referred to the Committee and—

(a) the Committee has not reached a final decision on the matter; or

(b) the Committee has reached a decision to impose a suspension order or to remove an osteopath’s name from the Register

then the Committee may, if it is satisfied that it is necessary to do so in order to protect members of the public, order the Registrar to suspend the registration of the osteopath concerned (an Interim Suspension Order) in accordance with section 24 of the Act.

(2) Where the Committee considers that an Interim Suspension Order may be appropriate, it shall fix a date, time and place for deciding that question, having regard to the urgency and all the circumstances of the case and shall notify the osteopath of his right to appear before the Committee and to argue his case and to be legally represented.

(3) The Committee may postpone a hearing or adjourn proceedings as it thinks fit, either on its own motion, or on the request of the osteopath.

(4) A medical assessor may be appointed by the Chairman to be present at any hearing under this rule.

(5) Where the osteopath does not appear and is not represented, the provisions of rule 20 shall apply.

(6) The Solicitor shall be requested to present the case to the Committee and call such evidence as he wishes to justify an Interim Suspension Order.

(7) The osteopath or his representative shall have the right to cross-examine any witness called by the Solicitor who may in turn re-examine such witness.

(8) The osteopath or his representative may then present the case against the making of such an Order by calling such evidence as he wishes and the Solicitor shall have the right to cross-examine such witness on behalf of the Council and the osteopath or his representative may in turn re-examine such witness.

(9) The Solicitor and the osteopath or his representative may address the Committee.

(10) Members of the Committee, the legal assessor, and the medical assessor may, with the consent of the Chairman, question a person giving evidence at the hearing.

(11) Save as set out herein, the procedure of the Committee shall be as it may determine.

(12) The Committee shall in private decide whether to impose an Interim Suspension Order and the decision of the Committee shall be given at the conclusion of the hearing.

(13) The Committee shall direct the Registrar to confirm its decision in writing to the osteopath, informing him also of his right to appeal against the decision in accordance with section 24 of the Act.

Revocation of interim suspension orders U.K.

41.—(1) The Committee may on the written application of the osteopath revoke an Interim Suspension Order made under these Rules on the grounds stated in section 25(1) of the Act.

(2) When such an application is made it shall be heard by the Committee at the first available opportunity and the Committee shall follow the procedures set out in rule 40(6) to (11).

Consideration of allegations against two or more osteopaths U.K.

42.  Nothing in these Rules shall be construed as preventing the consideration together of allegations against two or more osteopaths and where such consideration is given, these Rules shall apply with necessary adaptation and subject to any direction given by the Committee as to the order in which proceedings shall be heard under any of these Rules in relation to the several osteopaths concerned.

Multiple allegations against an osteopath U.K.

43.  Where in the case of any hearing, it is alleged against the osteopath both that he has been convicted and that he has been guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence, the following shall be the procedure—

(a) the Committee shall first proceed with every allegation that the osteopath has been convicted until it has completed the process required by rule 26 save for rule 26(5);

(b) the Committee shall then proceed with every allegation that the osteopath has been guilty of unacceptable professional conduct or professional incompetence as aforesaid, until it has completed the process required by rules 27 to 32;

(c) the Committee shall then take any proceedings required by way of mitigation and imposition of sanctions under rules 33 to 39.

Reconvening of the Committee U.K.

44.  The Committee shall meet following the decision of Her Majesty in Council to remit a case to the Committee to dispose of in accordance with the directions of the Judicial Committee, and the Committee shall dispose of the case in accordance with those directions.