News from
the iO
NHS funding now available for First Contact Practitioner Osteopaths
Following significant lobbying by the Institute of Osteopathy, NHS funding through the updated Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) for Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) 2024-2025 contract, is now available for those wishing to employ osteopaths into primary care roles such as First Contact Practitioners (FCP).
The NHS ‘First Contact Practitioner Service’ role was developed to ease the pressure on GPs regarding Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, which can take up to 30% of all patient visits.
The updated ARRS contract will create significant opportunities for those services that would benefit from employing osteopaths as autonomous, registered health professionals that can provide new expertise and increased capacity to general practice to assess, diagnose, treat and discharge a person without a medical referral, providing patients with faster access to the right MSK care.
‘DEMONSTRATES AN INCREASING ACCEPTANCE FROM PUBLIC HEALTHCARE OF HOW OSTEOPATHS CAN WORK TO SUPPORT THE NHS. THIS, IN TURN, ADVANCES OUR RECOGNITION AMONG WIDER HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONS AND THE PUBLIC. THE DES CONTRACT RENEWS EVERY YEAR, BUT THE INFORMATION I HAVE RECEIVED SUGGESTS WITH ALMOST CERTAINTY THAT OSTEOPATHS WILL NOT BE REMOVED.’
DAN MCCARTHY, iO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
The work to include the inclusion of osteopaths in the DES, led by the iO’s Professional Development team of Matthew Rogers and Daniel McCarthy, included engagement with the Chief and Deputy Chief Allied Health Professional Officers, National Clinical Director for MSK Conditions, and Head of Policy. The campaign was supported by over 25 NHS employers who signed a document supporting inclusion of osteopaths in the contract.
Daniel McCarthy, iO Professional Development Manager, says the new contract “demonstrates an increasing acceptance from public healthcare of how osteopaths can work to support the NHS. This, in turn, advances our recognition among wider healthcare professions and the public. The DES contract renews every year, but the information I have received suggests with almost certainty that osteopaths will not be removed.”
“This is a fantastic shift within the NHS to allow osteopaths to utilise their knowledge and skillset in a different context and broaden access to the public of osteopathic care.
Matthew Rogers, Head of Professional Development, says “I welcome this encouraging development as recognition of osteopaths’ positive impact on our healthcare system and improving access by the public to appropriate healthcare services.”
For more information on the role of Osteopaths as First Contact Practitioners see our report or visit our dedicated healthcare professionals page.