Dental Protection has welcomed the Government’s commitment to professional regulatory reform, but says it is disappointed that reform of the GDC continues to be at the back of the queue.
This follows a ministerial statement this week confirming the Government’s plans to modernise the legislative frameworks for only the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professional Council during this Parliament.
Raj Rattan, Dental Protection’s Dental Director, said: “While we welcome the new Government’s commitment to reforming healthcare professional regulation, we cannot help but note that successive governments have not prioritised substantive reform to dentistry legislation. This week’s announcement confirms that GDC reform is at the back of the queue and presumably will not progress during this parliamentary term.
“We have been calling for GDC reform for some time, as the current framework continues to limit the regulator’s ability to efficiently carry out its functions.
“In our 2023 survey of 125 dental professionals who have been investigated by the dental regulator, 82% said the process had a detrimental impact on their mental health. While the GDC still has scope to make significant improvements, reform to their outdated legislation could play a key role in further reducing delays to fitness to practise processes, as it could give the regulator greater discretion to not take forward investigations where allegations clearly do not require action.
“GDC reform should not be an afterthought. We urge the Government to find time to deliver this alongside planned reforms to other regulators.”
