About the Osteopath Network

The Osteopath Network comprises nearly 500 Osteopaths who have helped to establish this website and appointment booking service for the purpose of:

• Explaining the benefits of osteopathy to prospective patients; and
• Providing a free help-line service to answer the many questions patients may have about Osteopaths and how to make the most of a consultation

Crucially the Osteopath Network is funded by its members so that there is no charge to patients for using the service. All charges are absorbed into the standard consultation rates charged by the practice, and all patients booking through the Osteopath Network are guaranteed that the consultation fees they pay will be the same or lower than patients referred from any other source such as by their local GP.

All of the Osteopath practices registered with the Osteopath Network are qualified to practise in the UK and are also registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOC) which supervises all UK Osteopaths. In addition to satisfying all the educational and regulatory requirements of the GOC, the Osteopath Network has its own more stringent admission criteria for clinics wishing to participate in the Network. All Osteopaths must have at least 5 years experience in practice (although 90% have more than 10 years experience) and be recognised by most major health insurance providers.

In addition to vetting all the Osteopaths joining the Osteopath Network, the Network coordinator, Ben Brown, is responsible for obtaining feedback from the many thousands of patients who use the Osteopath service to book their Osteopath appointments each year. We proactively seek feedback from patients and use it to guide recommendations to patients – and also to prune the membership if an Osteopath is receiving less than overwhelming positive feedback. Although most feedback is positive Ben continuously evaluates all Osteopaths and de-lists any that have not got an excellent feedback score. Of course, there is a full money-back guarantee provided by the Osteopath Network.

The telephone advisors who answer patient calls are all trained by an Osteopath to be able to give general advice to patients – although in most cases they will recommend that you seek a personal consultation with an Osteopath if required. More importantly they acquire a deep knowledge of the way in which Osteopathy is practiced in each local area enabling the Network telephone advisors to recommend particular Osteopaths in an area for treatment of different kinds of conditions. For example, patients looking for treatment for a frozen shoulder will be advised about the way in which an Osteopath will generally treat this condition as well as advised about which Osteopaths specialise in this condition and base a substantial part of their practice on treating this specific condition. Patients can then decide whether to see a generalist nearby or travel a little further to see a specialist.

The best way to find out about the Osteopath Network is to call our friendly team of advisors and ask your questions; they are here to help.

The content of this page is informed by feedback from practices in London and also osteopathic practitioners in Leeds. Further input was received from osteopaths in the Sheffield area and a practitioner in Southampton. Finally a contribution was made by clinics in Cambridge