GDC

GDC publishes 2021 fitness to practise and registration statistical reports

The General Dental Council (GDC) has today published its annual statistical reports for 2021 on fitness to practise and registration.

Both reports benefit from efforts with the professions to build a more complete picture of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data, enabling the regulator to better understand the diversity of the professions. EDI data is now provided by almost 92% of professionals – a huge improvement on the 66% held in 2020. Over time, this information will be used to understand the impact of regulation on people who share protected characteristics and will enable the GDC to detect discrimination and work to eliminate it.

This has made it possible – for the first time – for the fitness to practise report to include a reliable breakdown of cases by EDI characteristics, including ethnicity.

The report highlights that of all concerns received by the GDC in 2021, a disproportionately high number were raised against Asian or Asian British dentists (28%) when compared to their proportion of the total register (24%). Conversely, White dentists were underrepresented (43% of all concerns raised) when compared to their proportion of the register (50%).

While these differences were evident in relation to concerns raised with the GDC, the report indicates the regulator progressed concerns in broadly the same proportions they were received.

GDC Executive Director of Fitness to Practise, John Cullinane, said: “This is the first time we have published EDI data in the context of fitness to practise and we’re in the early stages of understanding what it tells us, and how we can use it in our work to ensure there is no discrimination in any of our process. What we do know is that EDI analysis is complex and, as such, the data in our reports should not be used in isolation to draw conclusions as many other factors may be relevant, such as practice location, size of practice or local demographics.

“We are committed to developing the data we hold and our understanding of it, and we look forward to sharing further insights as our work progresses.”

While improvement has been achieved in the overall EDI data held by the GDC, around a quarter of registrants still do not provide information relating to sexual orientation. This undermines the GDC’s ability to analyse this protected characteristic and, as such, the regulator encourages all professionals to submit this data via eGDC.

The full registration and fitness to practise 2021 statistical reports, which now include comparison data from previous years to better show any trends or changes over time, are available on the GDC’s Annual Report webpage.

BDA: ARF increase risks undermining hard-won progress on regulation

The British Dental Association has warned that signals the General Dental Council will move to increase the Annual Retention Fee will only undermine progress in rebuilding trust and confidence in the regulator among the profession.

Despite significant reserve levels, the BDA states that the regulator has signalled its intentions to raise fees above levels set in 2019, to around £730 (+7%) for dentists and to around £120 (+5%) for dental care professionals, as part of its emerging strategic plan for 2023-25. 

The BDA has said future hikes will inevitably damage goodwill among the profession, despite welcome commitments to improve ‘preventative regulation’, and recent improvements in the regulator’s performance in relation to fitness to practice.

The BDA will provide a full response to the consultation in due course.

Shareena Ilyas, Chair of the BDA Ethics, Education and Dental Team Working Group, said: “Any hike in the ARF is impossible to justify while the GDC is sitting on vast reserves. The costs of providing care are spiralling, while the real incomes for all team members have collapsed. Further fee increases will only undermine any gains when it comes to restoring this profession’s confidence in its regulator.” 

In response to the BDA’s comments, a spokesperson for the General Dental Council said: “This is a consultation on our strategic plans for the next three years and we look forward to hearing the views of everyone who holds an interest in our work, which of course includes dental professionals. Our target is to maintain a free reserve level equivalent to four and a half months of operating costs, and we believe the approach we’ve set out will maintain that level. If we are to continue ensuring patient safety and promoting the confidence that the public rightly have in dental professionals, the GDC must be financially sustainable and we are not immune to the inflation which is affecting everyone.”

GDC calls for particular focus on CPD as Dental Care Professionals’ annual renewal opens

The annual renewal period for dental care professionals (DCPs) opens today with the General Dental Council (GDC) calling for professionals to check their CPD record now to make sure they’ve completed enough hours to meet the minimum requirements for ongoing registration.

In addition to paying the annual retention fee and making their indemnity statement by 31 July, professionals need to make sure they make a compliant CPD statement on time, including having completed at least 10 hours of CPD over the last two years. With more than 3,000 DCPs falling foul of at least one of the CPD rules last year, the regulator is keen to highlight the requirements.

There are three steps to completing annual renewal. For DCPs these are:

  • Pay the annual retention fee by 31 July.
  • Make an indemnity statement by 31 July.
  • Complete the required amount of CPD by 31 July and go on to make an annual or end of cycle CPD statement by 28 August.

GDC Chief Operating Officer, Gurvinder Soomal, said: “The vast majority of dental care professionals complete all aspects of their registration renewal every year without any complications. But last year, more than 3,000 did not meet the requirements for CPD for reasons unrelated to Covid-19.

“Keeping up with professional development is an essential part of being a healthcare professional but there are also immediate practical impacts of not making a compliant CPD statement for the individual and their dental team, as non-compliance can interrupt their ability to practice. It takes just a few minutes to check your CPD record to make sure you have done enough – and if you find out now that you need to do more, you have enough time to put it right before the end of July.”

The GDC is also reminding DCPs of the need to meet minimum CPD requirements following two years of flexibility – supporting those who may have found it difficult to access CPD during the pandemic.

The GDC provides more information about annual renewal and CPD on its website.

New Covid-19 dental research indicates system being overstretched

New research, published today by the General Dental Council (GDC), into the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the dental sector has found profound challenges persist for both professionals and patients. The reports highlight increased patient demand but that dental services were struggling to meet that demand with rising waiting lists reported by professionals. The evidence also showed a shift in patients and dental professionals moving away from NHS dental services to the private sector. There were some signs of resilience across dentistry however, with professionals remaining confident in their ability to operate safely and fewer patients reporting they had coronavirus concerns that would affect their decision to visit the dentist. 

The research, which builds on work carried out in 2020, also found health inequalities continue to be made worse by the pandemic, with more young people and those from Asian and Black ethnic backgrounds reporting the greatest difficulties in accessing services. It also saw dental professionals reporting increased stress and mental health issues, as well as increasing impatience and aggression from patients.  

GDC Executive Director, Strategy, Stefan Czerniawski, said: “Dental professionals continue to rise to the extraordinary challenges posed by the pandemic, but these findings point towards a system being overstretched. Many of the most pressing and wide-reaching challenges highlighted in this research, such as access to services, health inequalities and pressure on professionals, will require attention and effort from everyone right across dentistry. While some of these are areas outside of the GDC’s direct control, we will use this evidence to inform all our work and share the insights with our partners to support those broader efforts to address these problems.”

The full reports are available to read on the GDC’s website.

Consultation on international routes to registration closing today

GDC responds, welcoming government proposals for increased flexibility

Almost a quarter of dentists registered in the UK gained their qualifications overseas. Alongside the 2,000 dental care professionals who trained overseas, they are a vital part of the UK’s dental workforce and, therefore, the arrangements for how those professionals will register in future matters to everyone. For too long, the General Dental Council (GDC) has been unable to improve these arrangements, or adapt to changing external factors such as Brexit or the pandemic, due to outdated and restrictive legislation. That – hopefully – will soon change.

For almost two years, the GDC has been working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on its plans to change the legislation. Today the regulator has published its response to the government’s consultation, welcoming all proposals.

Some of these important proposals include:

  • Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) candidates who, due to the COVID-19 exams suspension, lost part of their five-year time allowance will have the time restored. 128 people are currently blocked from booking exams because their time expired, and the proposals will resolve this problem.
  • The reforms will enable the GDC to increase ORE capacity. This urgent need will increase if the post-Brexit period of recognising EEA qualifications closes after the government’s review next year. If so, the ORE will become the only registration route for dentists qualified outside of the UK.
  • The proposals will close the route for overseas-qualified dentists to register as dental care professionals. This will reflect the spirit of the legislation and mirror current arrangements for UK-qualified dentists.

GDC Executive Director, Strategy, Stefan Czerniawski, said:

“We welcome the government’s proposals to update the law governing international registration. The proposed changes remove long-standing obstacles to developing more flexible and more efficient international routes to registration, and will allow us to expand capacity without the need for the costs to be subsidised by those already on the register.  

“These proposals are also a positive first step towards the more comprehensive reform of the legal framework governing our work which is sorely needed, and which would allow us to take a more proportionate and effective approach to regulation. We are continuing to urge the government to make more rapid progress on these wider changes, to the benefit of patients, the wider public, and the dental professionals we regulate.”

The DHSC’s consultation closes at 11.45pm, Friday 6 May. No changes to the legislation will take effect until the DHSC has considered the consultation responses, decided on the final legislative changes and both Houses of Parliament and the Scottish Parliament have voted to approve them.

You can read the GDC’s full response on the regulator’s website.

GDC appoints Ilona Blue as new Council member

Following a competitive recruitment process, the GDC is pleased to announce the appointment of Ilona Blue as a lay member of Council. Ilona is an experienced non-executive director and executive leader with a successful track record in finance, governance and programme delivery in central government and the NHS.

Ilona’s executive career began in academia where she undertook public health research with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and South Bank University. She then joined the Civil Service where she spent over twenty years working across HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office and Department for Transport.

Ilona is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and holds a PhD in International Public Health, a Post Graduate Diploma in Medical Statistics & Epidemiology and a BA (Hons) in Geography. She also completed the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma in 2020.

In announcing her appointment, Chair of Council, Lord Toby Harris, said:

“I’d like to welcome Ilona and look forward to working with her. She brings a wealth of experience as a non-executive director and leader, particularly in finance and governance, across a wide range of organisations, and will be able to provide new perspectives and insights in her new role.”

Following approval by the Privy Council, Ilona begins in her role immediately.

GDC supports Government’s new proposals to amend legislation on international routes to registration

DHSC Consultation launched today  

Following work with the General Dental Council (GDC), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has today launched a consultation on its plans to amend the legislation governing routes to registration for dental professionals with qualifications gained outside the UK.

In 2021, the government announced plans to overhaul the framework under which all UK healthcare regulators operate. This, however, came with no clear timetable for dentistry and there are a number of pressing issues relating to international routes to registration which just cannot wait for the broader programme of reform.

Driving this urgency are the approaching end of the system of recognition of EU qualifications, and the need to address the long-standing capacity issues with the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) which have been exacerbated by Covid-19.

Through its work with DHSC over the last 18 months, the GDC has sought a system which provides:

  • protection for patients  
  • fairness for professionals  
  • mechanisms to ensure costs can be recovered from where they are generated  
  • scalability, avoiding unnecessary bottlenecks to entry to UK dental professions.  

GDC Executive Director, Strategy, Stefan Czerniawski, said: “We welcome these proposals which we believe will ensure a proportionate, clear and robust route to registration for those who have qualified outside the UK. As proposed, these reforms will provide us with more flexibility to create new rules for international routes to registration, and allow us to make the changes needed to ensure professionals who meet our high standards are able to register without unnecessary delay.”

The proposed changes will affect only new applicants to the GDC registers. The closing date for responses to the consultation is 6 May 2022.

Dental Protection welcomes GDC statement on complaints during the pandemic

Dental Protection has welcomed a statement by the GDC which reiterates its commitment to take the Covid-19 pandemic context into account when assessing complaints that are raised about dental professionals. 

The statement, which was also signed by the GMC and a number of other health and social care regulators, follows a similar joint statement issued near the start of the pandemic. 

It acknowledges that the individuals on the registers “may feel anxious about how context is taken into account when concerns are raised about their decisions and actions in very challenging circumstances” and confirms that where a concern is raised about a registered professional, it will always be considered on the specific facts of the case, taking into account the factors relevant to the environment in which the professional is working. It says any relevant information about resource, guidelines or protocols in place at the time would also be taken into account.

Separately, the GDC has also developed supplementary advice to support case examiners in considering factors relating to the impact of Covid-19 on a dental professional’s ability to deliver care.

Dental Protection said the renewed GDC commitment would be well received, but must stand the test of time. A survey of the organisation’s members showed that two in five dentists (40%) said fear of investigations arising from difficult decisions made during Covid-19, or disruption to care, was having most impact on their mental wellbeing.

Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection said: “We are pleased that the GDC, alongside other health and social care regulators, has taken this step to again reassure dental professionals.  

“Throughout this period, dental professionals have told us about a range of issues that have been impacting their mental wellbeing – from concern for their patients, the health of their family, friends and colleagues, the impact of loss of income, and the challenges of adapting to new ways of working.

“There has been a growing concern about the risk of regulatory investigation, and how actions and clinical interventions may be perceived in any future investigation if insufficient consideration is given to the impact of the pandemic. The risk is that hindsight bias is real because memories fade over time and it is important to safeguard against this. al

“Ongoing reassurance from the GDC on how the context of the Covid-19 pandemic will be taken into account, alongside the supplementary advice developed for its case examiners, will therefore go some way towards easing these fears and we are glad the GDC have heeded our calls for this.

“Recognising that by the very nature of dental care, a complaint and subsequent investigation can arise several years after the event, it is crucial that the GDC’s guidance stands the test of time, lest the very real pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing disruption of care be forgotten.

“We will continue to monitor this closely to ensure that dental professionals are protected.”

GDC publishes stakeholder perceptions research and plans for improvement

The results of research undertaken in 2020, designed to better understand professionals’, students’ and other stakeholders’ perceptions of the General Dental Council (GDC), and test understanding of the regulator’s role, was published today.

The results indicate that overall perceptions of the GDC were more negative (58%) than positive (21%) in 2020, and that views amongst the dental team have worsened from when the same questions were posed in 2018. Conversely, views of the GDC improved slightly amongst dental students and other stakeholders.

The report also highlights a lack of universal understanding of the regulator’s role, with almost half of all professionals surveyed believing the GDC was responsible for setting clinical standards, which is not the case.

GDC Chief Executive and Registrar, Ian Brack, said: “The findings in this report illustrate some of the frustrations felt in the sector and where we can direct our efforts. The pandemic has thrown up new challenges for us all and exposed some historic ones, not least the need for those we regulate to understand our role and our shared responsibilities in ensuring patients are protected, and public confidence is maintained.”  

Reflecting on the findings that dissatisfaction with fitness to practise performance was a significant contributor to negative perceptions, Brack continued:

“I am accountable for performance of the GDC and very clear about what has not gone well and what we’re doing about it. Without regulatory reform, our ability to significantly improve the fitness to practise process is largely limited to making marginal operational improvements and applying more resource to an inefficient system. Nevertheless, I am determined that we will make the improvements we can.”

More detailed commentary on the research, as well as reflection on fitness to practise performance and improvement is available on the GDC’s website.

Deadline approaching for dentists to sign up to pay ARF by instalments

The deadline for dentists who wish to pay their Annual Retention Fee (ARF) by instalments is this Sunday, 31 October.

The General Dental Council introduced the new pay by instalments option to support dental professionals who pay their own fee by enabling them to spread the cost over the year. For dentists, this is four Direct Debits of £170.

To take advantage of the option this year, dentists need to log in to eGDC and select the quarterly Direct Debit option no later than 31 October 2021.

Where dentists hold specialist titles, the annual fee of £72 per title will also be collected in the first Direct Debit. For further information visit the GDC’s Pay by instalments Direct Debit webpage.