All three professions can easily overlap in similarities when treating and managing patients as healthcare moves towards evidence based practice, however there are generally slight differences in practice and focus of care. All three treat the muscles and joints to improve the musculoskeletal system. A physiotherapist focuses on exercise prescription to rehabilitate the patient and provides less hands on treatment. The chiropractor focuses mainly on the spine to improve the nervous system and body alignment, using manipulations (clicking joints) usually quite a lot. The osteopath however, primarily focuses on how different systems of the body are linked to one another and treats these areas alongside the area that is most symptomatic, using a variety of techniques. This approach helps the osteopath to get to the root cause of the issue and adapt their style of treatment to the patient. Every practitioner in each profession will have their own approach, so not all practitioners will fall into this general explanation, but hopefully this helps a little !

We fully endorse a responsible approach to your musculoskeletal health and believe that prevention is better than cure. If you are curious about your musculoskeletal health and would like to see how Osteopathy can support you in achieving your goals, we are happy to help.

If you have attended for a specific painful condition to begin with, and now you are feeling better, we will always provide you with options. We can discharge you at this point, and you can call us should you need any further appointments in the future.

Alternatively, we can schedule a follow-up appointment one month or a few months down the line as a check-up. At these ‘MOT’ sessions, we can alleviate any tension that has built up and rebalance your body, checking in with you about any exercises or providing additional lifestyle advice should you need it.

Most private health insurance companies reimburse you when they receive a receipt with the appointment information on and our registration number. We can provide this at the time of the appointment.

Some private health companies such as Bupa and Aviva have their own specific osteopaths (who they charge for the privilege.) that they refer to, so you will need to book an appointment via their system. We do not pay any insurance companies to be affiliated with them, so if your health insurance is through one of these providers, it will not be reimbursed.

It is worth checking through your health insurance documents to see what their specific requirements are – we are happy to provide any details they need on the receipt.

Please note that we provide receipts at the end of each appointment and do not take advance payments for a series of appointments. Our paid invoices tie directly to the appointment on our system so we are unable to edit the appointment dates/details once attended.

We can however provide receipts for appointments attended previously, so should you find out that you have cover, ask your osteopath, and they will be happy to provide  receipts for all appointments attended.

Our osteopaths will then conduct a full clinical examination, usually involving observations, movement testing, palpation (using touch to assess the area), clinical tests and when needed, neurological screening.

After we have conducted the assessment and come to a diagnosis, we will discuss with you our recommended treatment plan and answer any questions you may have. The treatment plan begins during the first session, with the first hands-on treatment taking place then. We tailor each appointment to the individual, prioritising your comfort throughout.

Our osteopaths will also discuss lifestyle advice and any exercises and outline the management plan moving forwards. We will try to give you an idea of how many sessions are needed based on our assessment.

To prepare for your appointment, please bring:

• Any recent scan results relevant to the appointment. We can take a photo and scan these in so they are on your file.
• A list of current medications
• Some shorts to change into

If you have reactive skin, please bring along some lotion that you know is fine for you.

However, some patients do not experience this at all and are totally fine following treatments.

Specific health conditions put some individuals at higher risk of other side effects, so please ensure you mention any health conditions to your osteopath so that they can provide suitable options or treatment approaches that are least likely to cause side effects.

Often our Osteopaths will do a full observation of your posture, so removing outer layers and leaving the underwear + shorts / strappy top is helpful for this part so we can see as much of the body as possible and get the whole picture.

That being said, we will adapt to you, so please wear comfortable clothing, and we can discuss treatment approaches at the appointment time should you have any questions or religious beliefs that mean removing layers of clothing is not possible.

Osteopathy or Cranial Osteopathy:

First Appointment: 45 minutes to 1hr

Follow-up Appointments: 30 minutes or 1 hour

Hot Stone Massage: 1 hour

Sports Massage: 1 hour or 30 minutes

See our services page for more information on appointment types and about different treatments.

First Appointments 45mins to 1hr: £60
Follow-up Appointments (30 minutes): £44
Follow-up Appointments (1 hour): £76

(if you have not been for an appt for over 2 years, we will run a First Appointment 1-hour session with you – taking another full case history to pick up any changes in your overall health picture and ensure our records are up-to-date).

Dry Needling

Some of our Osteopaths use Dry Needling adjunctively or as a standalone treatment option within Osteopathy Appointments, so charges are the same. Please book an Osteopathy Appt advising on Dry Needling as your preferred treatment type.

See Our Team page for specific information about our Osteopaths.

Hot Stones Massage 60 mins
(Faversham only) : £60

Payment methods:
Payments can be made by cash or card at the time of the appointment, with the exception of first appointment deposit payments.

Deposits:
For the first appointment, a deposit payment is taken at the time of booking and put towards the first appointment payment, for which the balance is taken at the end of the appointment.

If you would like to change the appointment for another time:

Give us a call or email and our receptionists will be able to change the appointment and carry forwards the deposit.

Please do not do this online, otherwise it will try to charge the deposit again.

We will be able to see any payments made as credits on your account, so we can always remedy errors at the time of the appointment.

If you would like to cancel and not rebook:

As long as you cancel more than 24 hours’ before the start time of your appointment, we will refund your deposit payment minus the service charge from the payment system (around £0.30).

Please contact our team via email or phone call as this is not automatic, and we need to facilitate the refund.

Yes, you can pre-book appointments online, payment is taken at the time of the appointment with the exception of the first appointment deposit.

We will never charge you up front for a series of appointments or register you for any subscription payments.

Please ensure you cancel the appointment over 24 hours before the start time.

To do this, please refer to the confirmation email that was sent to you at the time of booking. There you will see a link to cancel the appointment. You will need to cancel the appointment and use the online booking system to book another.

If you are cancelling your appointment under 24 hours before the start time, you will need to call us or reply to the reminder text, as the above method will not work.

In line with our Cancellation Policy below, the full appointment charge is payable for missed appointments and late cancellations (under 24 hours before the start time). A payment link will be sent to you at the time of cancellation.

If the osteopath has an available appointment later that same day, and you are able to attend that time instead, the cancellation charge will be waived.

Faversham: No, unfortunately we have a basement room, so there are some quite steep stairs down to the room.

Folkestone: Yes, we have one large step and one small step inside the buiding, all comfortably navigated with either a wheelchair (or pram).
The entrance can be a bit tight, but it is doable!

For disabled parking in Folkestone: The nearest parking is the double yellow lines in the Bayle if you have a blue badge.

Which Car Parks are the closest for each clinic?

Faversham: Central Car park
You will need to pass through the alleyway, that emerges onto Preston Street (opposite the Alexander Centre). Enter the clinic through Waterman and Webb Barber’s main entrance, a couple of doors down to the left after you come out of the alleyway. If you get to Euronics or Boots, you’ve gone too far 😀

Folkestone: Shellons Street Car Park / Upper Payers Car Park / On street, free: high Street Sandgate Road
From there, we are just up from the Pullman pub, towards St Eanswythe Church and School, on the right side if you are looking at the church. 

We do our upmost in caring for you as our patients and clients and hope that you never feel that you need to complain. However, as a responsible and professional establishment, we do have a Complaint Policy in place so that you have full transparency on how complaints are handled. 

Patient Complaints Policy – Your Voice Matters

At our osteopathic clinic, we’re committed to providing the highest standard of care. If something doesn’t feel right, we want to hear from you. Your feedback helps us improve and ensures you feel safe, respected, and heard.

 Step-by-Step Complaints Process

1. Talk to Us Informally

• If you’re unhappy with any part of your care, please speak to your osteopath or a member of staff as soon as possible.
• We’ll do our best to resolve the issue quickly and kindly.
• Many concerns can be sorted out with a simple conversation.

  2.  Make a Formal Complaint

  If you’re not satisfied with the outcome at stage 1:

  • Send your complaint by email or letter to the Practice Manager.
  • Include details like what happened, when, and who was involved.
  • We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days.
  • A full response will be provided within 15 working days. If it takes longer, we’ll keep you updated.

Practice Manager details:

Name: Tamsyn Webb
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01795353807
Address: Folkestone Osteopathy, 16 Church Street, Folkestone, CT20 2HE
Website: www.favershamosteopathy.co.uk

• Your complaint will be reviewed fairly and confidentially.
• We may speak to staff involved and ask for more details.
• You’ll receive a clear explanation and, if appropriate, an apology or action plan to put things right.

  3.  Review Stage

  If you’re still concerned after our response:

  • You can ask for a review by the Practice Manager if you are not happy with the outcome of stage 2.
    Please provide a clear written response to the outcome of stage 2, detailing why you are not satisfied with the outcome and what your expectations are for the review. 
  • We’ll acknowledge your review request within 3 working days.
    We will review the outcome from stage 2 alongside your written response as to why this is not satisfactory and see if we are able to do anymore to resolve the situation.
  • A full response to your review request will be provided within 15 working days. If it takes longer, we’ll keep you updated.

  4. Escalate to the General Osteopathic Council (or other regulatory body of the practitioner involved)

  If your practitioner is an Osteopath and you feel your complaint hasn’t been handled properly or involves serious professional concerns:

  • You can contact the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), the regulator for osteopaths in the UK.
  • Visit www.osteopathy.org.uk or call 020 7357 6655 for guidance.

    If your practitioner is not an osteopath, your complaint can be escalated to their relevant professional body- please as us for the details. 

  🤝 We’re Here to Help

  We take all complaints seriously and treat everyone with respect. Raising a concern will never affect the care you receive.

  Thank you for helping us improve.

At Folkestone and Faversham Osteopathy, we are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our patients’ personal information. We understand the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal health information and we adhere to all applicable privacy laws and regulations including GDPR. This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

1. Collection of personal Information

We collect personal information such as your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, health history, and insurance information. This information is necessary for us to provide healthcare services to you. We collect this information through various means, including in-person verbal or written, over the phone, through our website, email forms or email, or through third-party providers such as Ideal Receptionist and Cliniko (see below). Calls may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance and training purposes.

2. Use of Personal Information

We use your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. This may include providing osteopathic treatment and a management plan including exercises and advice and/or referring you to other healthcare providers. We may also use your personal information for administrative purposes, such as billing and record-keeping. Anonymised health data may be used by us or third party academic research organisations for research purposes.

3. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose your personal information to other healthcare providers who are involved in your care, such as specialists or hospitals but will always ask for written consent before doing this. We may also disclose your personal information to your insurance provider for billing purposes or provide a receipt for this purpose. We will always ask your consent to share any of your personal information  unless required by law.

4. Protection of Personal Information

We take all reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We have implemented physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of your personal information.

5. Access to Personal Information

You have the right to access and request a copy of your personal information that we have collected. You may also request that we correct any errors in your personal information. To request access to or correction of your personal information, please contact our privacy officer at [email protected]

6. Retention of Personal Information

Osteopaths in the UK are required to retain patient records for a minimum of eight years after the date of the last treatment or, in the case of a child, eight years after their 25th birthday. This is in accordance with the GOC’s “Guidance on Records and Record Keeping” which outlines the requirements for osteopaths in terms of creating, maintaining, storing, and disposing of patient records.

7. Cliniko and Ideal receptionist

At Healthcare Clinic, we use Cliniko as our practice management software to manage patient appointments, medical records, and billing. Cliniko is a third-party service provider and handles personal information on our behalf. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that Cliniko complies with our privacy policies and all applicable privacy laws and regulations.

We also use Ideal receptionist to provide telephone answering and appointment scheduling services for our patients. Ideal Receptionist Services is a third-party service provider and handles personal information on our behalf.

Collection and Use of Personal Information by Cliniko and Ideal Receptionist

Cliniko may collect personal information such as your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, health history, and insurance information. This information is necessary for Cliniko to provide services to us, including managing patient appointments and medical records.

Cliniko and Ideal Receptionist may use your personal information to provide services to us, including scheduling appointments, sending appointment reminders, and managing billing. Cliniko may also use your personal information to improve their services and develop new features.

Faversham and Folkestone Osteopathy may submit information to the Cliniko Services for hosting and processing purposes (“Customer Data”). Cliniko will not review, share, distribute, or reference any such Customer Data except as provided in Cliniko’s Terms of Service (https://www.cliniko.com/policies/terms/), or as may be required by law. In accordance with Cliniko’s Terms of Service, Cliniko may access Customer Data only for the purpose of providing the Services, or preventing or addressing service or technical problems, or as may be required by law.

Protection of Personal Information by Cliniko

Cliniko takes all reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Cliniko implements physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of your personal information. Data is encrypted, stored in state-of-the-art facilities, access is restricted to those who have a need to know, and Cliniko regularly review their technology to maintain security.

For more information and Cliniko’s full Privacy policy, please visit: https://www.cliniko.com/policies/privacy/

8. Policy updates and contact information

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our privacy practices. We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically. If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy, please contact our privacy officer at [email protected]

By accessing our healthcare services, you agree to the terms of this privacy policy and the additional terms outlined in this addendum regarding Cliniko and Ideal Receptionist Services.

• Tamsyn Webb, the principal osteopath & Practice Manager in both Faversham and Folkestone is in charge of Data Protection.
If you have any queries or concerns about how we handle your data, do contact us on 01795 353807 or 01303 300699, or via email at [email protected] if you have any further questions or queries.