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← National Council For Osteopathic Research

2025-04-30-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30[th] April 2025

Registered charity number 1157217

NCOR Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 April 2025

Contents

NCOR Trustees information ........................................................................................................................ 3 NCOR Team ................................................................................................................................................. 3 NCOR interested parties ............................................................................................................................. 3 NCOR Policies and objectives ..................................................................................................................... 4 Activity Report for the year end to 30th April 2025 ................................................................................... 5 Foreword .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Activity Report .......................................................................................................................................... 6 NCOR governance ................................................................................................................................. 6 Professional collaboration and contribution ........................................................................................ 7 Outreach, education, promotion and dissemination of research ............................................................ 8 Special projects .......................................................................................................................................11 Practice-Based Research Network .....................................................................................................11 Patient Reported Outcome Measurement: PROMs ...........................................................................12

2

NCOR Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 April 2025

NCOR Trustees information

NCOR Team

NCOR interested parties

  1. BCNO group: British College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) and European School of Osteopathy (ESO)

  2. College of Osteopaths (CO)

  3. General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)

  4. Institute of Osteopathy (iO)

  5. International College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) at NESCOT

  6. London School of Osteopathy (LSO)

  7. Osteopathic Alliance (OA)

  8. Osteopathic Foundation (oF)

  9. Sutherland Cranial College (SCC)

  10. Swansea University

  11. University College of Osteopathy (UCO)

3

NCOR Policies and objectives

The Trustees present their Annual Report together with the financial statements of the National Council for Osteopathic Research (the charity) for the year ended 1 May, 2024 to 30 April, 2025. The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and financial statements of the charity comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Report standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January, 2015), as amended by update Bulletin 1 (effective 1 January, 2016).

In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the charity commission relating to public benefit. The role of NCOR is to promote for the public benefit the advancement of education and the promotion of good health in particular, but not exclusively by:

  1. Leading and facilitating osteopathic research development in the UK, including developing a comprehensive and cohesive research strategy providing both direction and coordination of osteopathic research.

  2. Representing the osteopathic profession on matters relating to the osteopathic evidence base and research development. Acting on behalf of the profession, in a research context, to the media, the public and patients, policymakers, the inter-professional research community, other health professions and healthcare regulators.

  3. Providing a forum for osteopathic educational institutions (OEIs) through which to forge consistent standards in research governance, to share expertise, achieve economies of scale, and foster undergraduate and postgraduate research collaboration. Promoting research capacity and scholarship.

  4. Providing osteopaths, the public and patients, healthcare professionals, and the research and academic community with a recognised, high quality and accessible resource of researchrelated information concerning the distinctive body of knowledge within osteopathic practice.

  5. Improving awareness of osteopathic research development amongst osteopaths and the wider community. Establishing links and building networks within the research fraternity, nationally and internationally, with a view to development through collaboration. Formulating and fostering strategies for attracting funding for osteopathic research development.

  6. Providing systems relevant for grants governance and research governance for the benefit of all interested parties.

  7. Fostering and disseminating outputs from osteopathic audit, evaluation, and research activities.

Page 4 of 24

Activity Report for the year end to 30th April 2025

Foreword

Since taking on the role of Chair, it has been encouraging to see the continued momentum across NCOR’s projects. Over the past year, new partnerships have been established with educational institutions and clinical settings to enhance data collection and feedback loops, ensuring that osteopaths can better show the outcomes and quality of their care. The fledgling engagement of practitioners within the PBRN reflects a collective commitment to embedding research into everyday practice, supporting both professional development and patient benefit.

NCOR has also advanced its digital infrastructure, improving accessibility to research summaries, patient-reported outcome tools, and implementation guidance for practitioners. These developments are helping to translate evidence into practice more efficiently and inclusively. The strengthening of relationships with the Institute of Osteopathy (iO), educational providers, and international research partners has further aligned NCOR’s work with national and global health priorities, particularly around preventative and communitybased care.

Looking ahead, our focus remains on empowering osteopaths to demonstrate the value of their work within the broader healthcare landscape. Through rigorous research, collaboration, and innovation, NCOR continues to provide the evidence, context, and leadership necessary to support the profession’s evolution and its growing contribution to UK healthcare.

Dr Philip Bright Chair of NCOR Board of Trustees

Page 5 of 24

Activity Report

NCOR governance

NCOR Trustees

Dr Philip Bright became Chair on 03/04/2024, succeeding Maurice Cheng MBE who stepped down after many years of dedicated service. The Charity thanks Maurice for his exceptional support, national and international representation, and generous commitment of time.

Prof Duncan Empey stepped down in September 2024 after serving as the Osteopathic Foundation representative. Duncan provided invaluable support in building NCOR's strong relationship with the oF. The process of appointing the trustee representing the oF is ongoing.

NCOR’s team

Stefanie Butendieck, Research Administrator, left NCOR on 15 April 2025 when her fixedterm contract concluded. Following board discussion, the position was not replaced, with the team managing workload through:

NCOR’s host contract

Following the merger of UCO and AECC UC to form the Health Sciences University (HSU) effective 1 August 2024, NCOR navigated significant contractual challenges. Initial KPMG audits identified VAT liability issues with the hosting arrangement. After extensive negotiations and consultation with HSU Finance Director Joanna Smith:

Page 6 of 24

Professional collaboration and contribution

Ongoing collaborations

NCOR continues to be involved with Osteopathy Europe (OE), the Osteopathic Development Group (ODG), and the General Osteopathic Council’s (GOsC) Policy Education and Advisory Committee and Council meetings.

Dr Bailey and Dr Draper-Rodi have continued their involvement with the Osteopathic Development Group (ODG) short life working group on scoping needs, issues and opportunities relating to osteopathy recruitment and retention.

Dr Jerry Draper-Rodi continues chairing the Osteopathy Europe (OE) Research Standing Committee and attending the AGMs. He chairs monthly meetings of the Research Standing Committee and attends the OE AGMs (twice a year) where he presents an update on the activities of the Research Standing Committee.

Interested parties’ meetings

The format of interested party engagement has continued to two group meetings per year, and individual meetings (NCOR with each interested party separately).

We have run two Interested party Group meetings, one on the NCOR Research Network and workforce planning (October 24) and on Open Research (May 25).

Financial policies

The Board reviewed several financial policies during 2024-25:

  1. Annual Accounts Review : Following recommendations from accountant Babu Patel, the Board is exploring a modified approach focused on quality assurance rather than complete duplication of the work of the bookkeeper(Tracy Scott).

  2. Expenses Policy : A new expenses policy was developed following feedback from bookkeeper and approved by the Board in April 2025 (pending amendments – see appendix A). Key features include:

  3. Clear limits for accommodation, meals, and travel

  4. Documentation requirements

  5. Alignment with Financial Delegated Authority policy

  6. Financial Delegated Authority Policy : Updated to include all current staff members with appropriate approval thresholds.

  7. Interested parties' Fees : The Board agreed to maintain current fees for 2024-25 with expectations about future inflation-linked increases. A reserves policy review was scheduled following settlement of HSU invoices.

Page 7 of 24

Outreach, education, promotion and dissemination of research

2024 Student Internship

During the summer of 2024, NCOR hosted their first student research internship. This was a placement offered to a final year osteopathy student to work with the NCOR team and gain experience in research skills. The internship was a paid position that ran for six weeks. The focus of the internship was determined through discussion with the intern and the NCOR team so that it aligned with the intern’s personal goals and NCOR’s research aims. For the 2024 internship, the focus was to develop a questionnaire to gather information about the career goals of osteopaths. This would provide the intern with literature searching and questionnaire development skills, while providing a potential tool that NCOR could use to gather date that would provide valuable information about the osteopathic workforce in the UK.

During the internship, the student had weekly supervisory meetings with each member of the NCOR team to provide a variety of support and expertise. The student undertook a literature review and underwent training related to measurement tool assessment. The student then developed a draft version of a questionnaire about career choices in osteopathy. The student was invited to rejoin the NCOR team after they finished their studies to continue to work on the project so that they could potentially help contribute to a publishable manuscript and receive authorship credit.

Hubs

The hubs remain active, and meetings have included:

Bristol :

Leeds :

Haywards Heath :

Exeter:

Page 8 of 24

CPD

iO Roadshows

Leeds 16[th] November 2024

Swansea 1[st] June 2024

NCOR contributed to the iO Roadshows by presenting a 2-hour workshop on the vascular causes of cervical pain, which incorporated a clinical audit activity that could be used as the compulsory ‘Objective Activity’ component of CPD for GOsC registration purposes. In addition to providing up-to-date clinical information on the best practice approach to managing patient with cervical pain, and a reflective activity for osteopaths to improve their clinical practice, the workshop also collected data on the effectiveness of clinical audit as a CPD activity for a publishable study. The workshops were followed up three months later with an invite to attendees to complete a further online audit activity that they could also claim as CPD hours.

Vascular causes of cervical pain webinar - 14[th] November 2024

For those that could not attend the iO Roadshow event, an online version of the workshop was provided via a webinar. Osteopaths were able to complete the same clinical audit activity to use as their ‘Objective Activity’ and were also invited three months later to complete an additional CPD activity.

Research Skills Facebook Group

This free CPD provision by NCOR now has 10 Guides, that cover topics such as: Vascular causes of neck pain, how to create a patient case report, how to use the Cochrane library, and how to use PROMs in your clinic. This provided at least 10 hours of evidence based clinical CPD and has been accessed by 223 osteopaths.

Engagement

NCOR disseminates its own publications and other relevant research through regular social media posts across multiple platforms.

Via regular email newsletters, NCOR-RN communicates its ongoing research activity, publications, and opportunities for members to get involved with various research studies.

Dr Daniel Bailey gave a presentation at the HSU Graduate Workshop in March 2025. This was for final year students and aimed to provide students with information on the variety of career options available to them following graduation. Dr Bailey explained how involvement in research can be combined with clinical work to enhance patient care.

Page 9 of 24

Webinars

Carol Fawkes delivered an online webinar for students at BCOM in relation to clinical audit. This included an introduction to the topic, and some examples relevant to clinical practice (October 2024).

Jerry Draper-Rodi delivered an online webinar to the Institut Toulousain d’Osteopathie, in March 2024.

Conferences

Jerry Draper-Rodi gave a keynote presentation at the Osteopathic European Academic Network (OsEAN), in September 2024.

Articles

We continue to write for Osteopathy Today . An article explaining PBRNs and outlining NCOR’s Research Network and how to get involved was published in the Autumn edition of Osteopathy Today.

This year we have published 14 papers in peer reviewed journals:

Page 10 of 24

Sposato, N.S. and Vaughan, B., 2024. Characteristics of the practice of New Zealand osteopaths who manage patients with chronic pain. Pain management , 14 (12), pp.625632. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17581869.2024.2436836

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-025-12540-z

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10833196.2024.2321558

Special projects

Practice-Based Research Network

A total of 614 osteopaths have completed the registration survey to become members of NCOR-RN.

Page 11 of 24

The data provided by the NCOR-RN members has been included in two manuscripts that will shortly be submitted for publication. The first paper introduces NCOR-RN as the first PBRN for osteopathy in the UK and provides an overview of the survey results. The second paper compares the demographics and clinical practice of osteopaths who have been in practice less than 10 years or 10 years or more to identify possible patterns that may explain the increased number of osteopaths leaving the register and receiving concerns and complaints after 10 years in practice.

NCOR-RN members regularly receive newsletters updating them on activity within the Network and NCOR generally. This recently included a short survey on which topics and types of research projects members would most like to be involved with to inform out of project planning.

Multiple ‘sub-study’ projects are now in development that will be conducted within NCOR-RN. Consideration is being given to the current work-force issues within osteopathy and the preferences of NCOR-RN members in the development of these projects.

Patient Reported Outcome Measurement: PROMs

Since the last annual report, data collection has begun in the osteopathic training clinic at Ara Institute of Canterbury in New Zealand. Discussions are ongoing to conduct a pilot data collection study with the osteopathic profession in New Zealand later in the year.

Presentations including summary data reports have been prepared for osteopaths in Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland for local interested party delivery.

Currently data submissions include over 7500 observations from patients. Discussions have been held with Clinvivo, the IT company which develops and supports the app, to create a platform for easier joining to use the app, and a system for automatic data analysis for individual osteopaths to generate as this is currently an extremely time-consuming process.

Workforce planning projects

NCOR secured three grants from the GOsC for workforce planning research:

In parallel, NCOR is planning a Career Planning Project to understand osteopaths' career plans for the next 5-10 years to identify potential retention obstacles.

Concerns and Complaints report

This document was produced again this year analysing data submitted from the GOsC, the iO, and the professions’ insurers.

Page 12 of 24

An area where data were lacking related to the patients making the complaints. Work was conducted (CF and JDR) to identify additional questions for inclusion in the previous data collection tool. The revised version of the tool was circulated for the first time in 2024 to try to identify any specific areas where patients and osteopaths could be better supported to reduce the risk of complaints. Although limited data were collected on initial use, this will grow as contributors to the report amend their data collection processes where possible.

Osteopaths’ experiences of working in the NHS

This study was awarded funding by the Osteopathic Foundation (oF) to explore osteopaths’ experience of working in the NHS. Ethical approval was received in Oct 23 from the UCO ethics committee. A total of 16 osteopaths were recruited for the study. This was the projected number to reach information power with participants from a range of different NHS settings and length of experience.

A range of diverse themes have emerged focussing on the benefits of working in the NHS, the journey from application to starting work in the NHS, career progression and development, professional support and some of the challenges encountered and how they were managed. Themes and sub-themes were developed by Carol Fawkes and Jerry Draper-Rodi. They were reviewed independently for quality assurance. Report writing for the oF is being finalised and the draft content for two peer-reviewed publications have been agreed. A poster abstract for the study has been accepted by the Health Services Research conference in Newcastle in July, 2025. An abstract will be submitted for the iO conference in November, 2025.

Scholarly work

The manuscript on the project conducted with Swansea University is under review.

Trustworthiness of Osteopathic Trials

This project involved multiple reviewers from the profession and was initially led by Amandine Senequier, who worked on the project for approximately one year before accepting a PhD position at QMUL in September 2023. Professor Hilary Abbey subsequently took over to complete the project.

The systematic review examined the methodology of osteopathic trials and assessed their trustworthiness. The article is published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, in open access https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895435625001210.

The timing of the project was modified to support Amandine's PhD transition and to include additional reviewers due to the substantial number of osteopathic trials included in the systematic review. While this extended the timeline, costs remained similar as Amandine reduced her FTE from 0.2 to 0.1 to cover a longer period while reviewers completed data extraction and trustworthiness assessment.

Dr Jerry Draper-Rodi NCOR Director

01/10/2025

Page 13 of 24

SBP (SOUTHPORT) LIMITED CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNT ANTS Dated= 1011212025 SB National Council for Osteopathic Research INCORI clo Healih Sciences University 275 Borough High Street London SE1 1JE PATEL &Co. Tolsey House l Mar5hside Road Churchtown For the attention ot= Dr Jerry Draper-Rodi. Director Southport PR9 9TL Dear Jeiry. t 01704 5C16405 07767 216515 Rp: Assurance and Chocklng Revlowol Accounts for_yaor Ended 30Aprll 2025 e.. L)abffjbgatel.co.uk We are writing to confirm that we have completed our assurance and checking review of NCOR'S accounts for the financial year 202412025. Overall, the accounts have been verywèf(.5bpatel.¢o.uk prepared, and we are pleased io confirm that they present a true and fail view of the charity's financial position. We would like to commend Tracyscottforthe quality and thoroughness of the bookkeeping work. Our review identified only minor maners relating to nominal account categorisation and one opening balance discrep8ncy. which we detail belowforyour records. Categorlsatlon Sugg0$tlons We noted the following items which V￿ would typically categorise differently. though you may decide to retain ihe curreni treatment if it better reflects NCOR'S accounting practices: 1. ICO Ronowal payments (£40 x 2)- Currently allocated io Sundry. Wé would typically categorise ihese to Professional Fees, as Sundry Is generally reserved for items such as refreshments 8t meetings (tea. cotlee. etc.). 2. Staff $ub$lst•n¢o expon$•s~ Currenilyallocated to Staff Costs. We would tyPIC811y use a sep8r8te nominal account named'Travel. Accommo08tion & Subsistence, for 811 expendtture that staff incur when attending meetings outside the office or overnight stays. 3. A¢counlancyf8es pre$8ntatlon-We typically show fees forour services on the profit and loss account under Accountancy. However. we understand you may prefer to describe ihis as 'lndependent Examination. to rellect the nature of the work undertaken. Opening 8olan¢o Corre¢tlon We identified a discrepancy in the opening balance for the Natwest bank account. The trial balance shows an opening figure of £36.010.24. whereas the corieci balance brought forward from last year's accounts should be É36.029.13. This adjustment affects the unrestricted funds figure. which should read £133.i09.6'7 to align with last year's accounts.

Conclu$lon Following our correspondence. these suggesiions an¢Y the opening balance correction have been acted upon byTfacy Scoll, and the a¢¢ounts have been duly amended. We are nowfully satisfied that the accounts are in order and 8CCUfately reflect NCOR'S financial position for the year. We irust this summary 1$ helpful for your recor(Jg. Should you have any questions r8garding these matters or require any clarific81ion. please do not hesitate to cont8Ct me or my colleague Lily Kitchen. Yours sincerely. Shahld Babu Patel IFCCAI SB Patel& Co Page 15 of 24

National Council for Osteopathic Research

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 30 April 2025

Income from
Membership and donations
Grants
Sundry Income
Interest Received
Total Income
Expenditure on
Charitable Activities
Total Expenditure
Net Income/ (Expenditure) and
movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Note
2
3-5
6		 Unrestricted
funds 2025
£
92960
29950
54
741
123706
138252
138252
(14547)
133510
118963		 Total Funds
2024
£
74459
45653
350
90		 Total Funds
2024
£
74459
45653
350
90
120551
84281
84281
36271
97239
133510

Page 16 of 24

Balance Sheet as at 30 April 2025

Current Assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Total Current Assets
Creditors: amount falling due
within one year
Net Current assets
Net Assets
Charitys funds
Unrestricted funds
Total Funds		 Note
7
8		 £
0
200574
200574
(81611)		 2025 £
118963
118963
118963
118963		 £
0
137535
137535
(4025)		 2024 £
133510
133510
133510
133510

Page 17 of 24

Notes to Financial Statements

2. Income from donations
Membership fees
Other donations
Grants
Sundry Income
Interest Received
Total donations and legacies
3. Analysis of expenditure by activities
Expenditure
4. Direct Costs
Staff costs recharged
Tuition fees
Other direct costs
PROMs project
CUTIES- project research
Convention Project
Trust Project
NHS Qualitative Project
PBRN Project
Adverse Events Project		 Activities
undertaken
directly
2025
£
129076		 Unrestricted
funds 2025
£
90700
2260
29950
54
741
123706
Governance
and support
costs
2025
£
9176
Research
activities
2025
£
119616
0
0
2955
0
0
750
983
831
3941
129076		 Total Funds
2024
£
68140
6319
45653
350
90		 Total Funds
2024
£
68140
6319
45653
350
90
120551
Total
2025
£
138252
Total
2024
£
53040
0
0
8334
(77)
1437
11887
2765
2051
0
79436

Page 18 of 24

5. Governance and support costs

5. Governance and support costs
Travel Expenses
Consultancy & Legal Fees
Insurance
Bad debt
Sundry costs
Honoraria costs
Accountancy & Bookkeeping
Artwork
Website design & Hosting
Bank Charges
Software Costs
6. Net income/ (expenditure)
This is stated after charging:
Independent Examination fee
7. Debtors
Other debtors
8. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Other creditors, including accrued expenses		 Total
2025
£
1736
3031
413
0
546
0
2081
0
200
20
1148
9176
2025
£
1500
2025
£
600
600
2025
£
81011
81011		 Total
2024
£
557
40
391
0
932
0
2531
0
397
(5)
0
4805
2025
£
1400
2024
£
0
0
2024
£
4025
4025

Page 19 of 24

9. Related party transactions

Health Sciences University (HSU) provided administration services to NCOR. Total costs were £11,9616 (2024: £53,040)

A donation of £26,500 (2024: £26,500) was received from the General Osteopathic Council, a trustee of NCOR is any employee of this organisation.

A provision was made for a donation of £2,200 (2024: £0) from the General Osteopathic Council for the Concerns and Complaints report, a trustee of NCOR is any employee of this organisation.

A donation of £26,500 (2024: £26,500) was received from the Institute of Osteopathy, a trustee of NCOR is a director of this organisation.

A donation of £2,800 (2024: £2,800) was received from the Health Science University, a trustee of NCOR is an employee of this organisation.

Page 20 of 24

APPENDIX A - Expenses Policy [draft April 2025]

1. Introduction

The National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) is a charitable organisation with a responsibility to ensure that all funds are used appropriately and in accordance with our charitable objectives. This policy establishes clear guidelines for claiming expenses and defines what constitutes acceptable expenditure.

This policy applies to all trustees, staff members, researchers, and any individuals engaged in activities on behalf of NCOR. It aims to ensure transparency, accountability, and consistency in the management of expenses while maintaining the charitable ethos of the organisation.

2. General principles

All individuals claiming expenses must:

3. Submission of claims

4. Travel expenses

4.1 Public transport

4.2 Air travel

4.3 Private vehicles

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4.4 Taxis

5. Accommodation

6. Subsistence

Page 22 of 24

7. Other expenses

7.1 Stationery and office supplies

7.2 Conference and event fees

8. Expenses that will not be reimbursed

The following expenses will not be reimbursed:

9. Approval process

All expense claims must be authorised in accordance with NCOR's Financial Delegated Authority policy:

Page 23 of 24

Should the Financial Delegated Authority policy be updated in the future, the most current version of that policy supersedes the approval limits outlined in this document.

10. Use of NCOR credit cards

11. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees to ensure it remains appropriate and up to date.

Last reviewed: March 2025

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