Here are some of the questions that are most frequently asked.
No, you do not need a referral to see an osteopath. Osteopaths are primary care practitioners and also Allied Health Professionals (alongside physiotherapists, podiatrists and paramedics), meaning you can be confident of safe and professional conduct at all times. Osteopathy is recommended by The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the treatment for lower back pain. In addition, there are guidelines published by the Department of Health which advocate that osteopathy can effectively treat patients with musculoskeletal problems.
We suggest that you let your GP know if you are having osteopathic treatment, so that they can keep your patient notes up-to-date.
If you have any complaints about an osteopath you can contact the General Osteopathic Council to flag your concerns: www.osteopathy.org.uk
If you’d like to have a chat about whether or not you can be seen by an Osteopath for your specific condition feel free to call our clinic reception on 0300 561 0161 and ask to arrange a chat with an Osteopath.
Osteopaths are Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) who are specifically trained in diagnosing health issues.
Our patients often come to us after having tried many other options or exhausted all conventional (and unconventional) routes. Osteopathic intervention helps improvements in pain, function and health-related quality of life in the vast majority of patients.
At Core Clapton you can seek advice and receive affordable Osteopathic treatment to alleviate pain and improve your physical and mental wellbeing. But, more than that, we want to give you the tools to keep your body working to its full potential by providing a good understanding of how your body works and promoting activities and habits for you to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Osteopaths are regulated, just like GPs or nurses. Patients can feel assured that their osteopath is qualified and insured, will follow a strict set of clinical standards that protect patients’ safety and dignity, and recommend and apply the most appropriate treatment for you, which includes referring you on if necessary.
Osteopaths are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). It is against the law to call yourself an osteopath unless you are qualified and registered with the GOsC. The minimum qualification for an osteopath is completion of a four or five year degree, which includes at least 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice. Many osteopaths also study for masters degrees.
Once qualified, osteopaths must continue to update and expand their knowledge by completing a minimum of 30 hours per year of continuing professional development. You can check whether an osteopath is registered by visiting the GOsC website.
Please wear loose clothing or sportswear so that your osteopath can observe your movements and evaluate the cause of your discomfort.
Your assigned osteopath will start by discussing your current symptoms and medical history, asking questions to understand why you have come for treatment and to gain an understanding of your overall health. The questions might be quite detailed, to ensure that osteopathy is appropriate for you.
Your osteopath will go through a full case history, asking questions to understand why you have come for treatment and to gain an understanding of your overall health. The questions might be quite detailed, to ensure that osteopathy is appropriate for you.
Your osteopath will perform a physical examination of the area causing you pain or discomfort. This will likely include assessing other areas of your body apart from the one that hurts, as osteopaths seek to understand the cause of your symptoms and consider the interrelationship between all of your body systems to see the whole.
Finally, the osteopath will provide you with treatment. This generally involves hands on manual therapy, such as massage or moving your joints. However, treatment may also come in the form of exercise prescription, verbal or written advice, or further referral if necessary.
Subsequent sessions generally involve a catch up about how your symptoms have changed with most of the session focused on treatment. However, if you have any new symptoms, these may need to be further assessed.
We usually recommend 3 - 4 treatments for your symptoms to resolve. However, if you’ve had the problem for a long time, you may require more treatments and if you’ve had the problem for less time, your symptoms may resolve after fewer treatments.
For some patients, it is advisable to return once a month, or several times a year for a ‘maintenance’ treatment, to prevent symptoms from returning. Each case is individual but your osteopath should be able to give you an estimate based on your particular circumstances and state of health.
Core Clapton is a centre of Osteopathic excellence. All of our osteopaths are fully qualified and insured, and registered with the General Osteopathic Council. If you have health insurance, you may be able to claim back some or all of your treatment amount.
An initial consultation costs £65 and lasts up to 1 hour. A follow-up session costs £48 and takes around 30 minutes. For concession rates please see our Pricing page more info.
The going rate for an initial osteopathy consultation in London ranges from £65 to £85 with our fees kept at the lower end to make it accessible.
Every penny of profit is invested back in to our charity that provides osteopathy for people on low income who wouldn't normally be able to afford treatment, as well as undertaking vital research into drug-free treatments for chronic pain.
If you have a complaint or concern about the level of care you have received from an osteopath or any member of staff, please let us know.
Our promise to you is that we shall:
Make your complaint to the reception either in person, by phone or in an email or by letter.
If you telephone us or speak to us in person, the complaint will be logged and whoever takes your call will attempt to resolve the issue for you. If you are not satisfied, we will tell you when it is likely that the practice manager will be free to ring you to discuss the matter or invite you to come to the practice to do so. We will investigate your complaint during the following few days and will aim to:
If you do not feel that your complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction you can talk to an independent source about it by ringing the Institute of Osteopathy on Freephone 0800 110 5857, or email.
If you are concerned about safety and you wish to instigate a formal complaint with the regulatory body, the General Osteopathic Council can be contacted on 0207 357 6655. Please note that the General Osteopathic Council cannot award compensation. For more information please visit their website.