Each year the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) publishes a performance review of the General Dental Council which outlines the extent to which the regulator is meeting its standards of good regulation.
The latest report by the PSA confirms that the regulator met 16 out of 18 expected standards of a good regulator.
Dr Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection, said: “The PSA’s report acknowledges that the GDC have made progress in some areas. We have previously stated strong concerns about the impact that communications from the GDC have on those under investigation. The PSA are right to highlight the work the GDC have done to improve their template letters and in training its staff on the tone of voice they use.
“The fact remains however that the regulator is failing to meet a key standard set by the PSA in relation to fitness to practise because it continues to take too long to deal with fitness to practise cases. This is not acceptable.
“Our research shows that the damaging toll lengthy GDC investigations have had on dental professionals, with more than four in five citing the duration of their GDC investigation as having the most impact on their mental health, and more than a quarter saying they experienced suicidal thoughts during the investigation process.
“We will continue to work constructively with the GDC to see how they can make further improvements, and we hope that the next PSA report will be able report on further progress. We will also continue to lobby the government to reform the Dentists Act so the GDC can be given greater discretion to not take forward investigations where allegations clearly do not require action.”
