A decision on the annual retention fee (ARF) level for 2015 will be made on Thursday 30 October 2014.
The council’s decision will be made following an analysis of more than 4,000 responses to a consultation that ran for a nine week period until 4 September 2014.
In addition, it will consider the GDC’s forecasts and budget projections for 2015 – 2017, which have been reviewed by KPMG to provide independent confirmation that the full range of underlying assumptions are realistic.
At its meeting on 30 October, the council will be asked to consider options for the level of ARF for 2015 based on three financial models – two of which would result in fee reductions for dental care professionals (DCPs).
These models are set out below:
Model |
Reserves December 2015, expressed as months of 2015 budgeted operating spend |
Resultant |
|
Most likely |
Likely worst case |
||
Model one |
3.8 months |
3.0 months |
Dentists £945 DCPs £128 |
Model two |
3.0 months |
2.2 months |
Dentists £890 DCPs £116 |
Model three |
2.5 months |
1.7 months |
Dentists £850 DCPs £111 |
Current ARF |
Less than zero |
Less than zero |
Dentists £576 DCPs £120 |
GDC chief executive and registrar, Evlynne Gilvarry, said: ‘The council’s decision will be about ensuring we have the resources in place to be sustainable and responsive as a regulator of the dental profession in the future.
‘There has been no increase in the ARF for four years.
‘However, since 2011, we have seen a 110% rise in complaints since 2011, and the fact that we are having to work within an outdated statutory framework means that the options on the table must include a significant rise in the ARF for dentists, albeit alongside a very moderate increase, or even a reduction, for dental care professionals.
‘A key aim also is to ensure a prudent level of reserves for an organisation of our scale and remit.
‘The council will also be publishing a full response to the consultation, picking up on key issues of regulation that were keenly debated by the dental profession throughout the summer.’
The GDC is aware of the high level of interest in the forthcoming decision on the ARF.
The full set of papers being considered by the council can be found on the GDC website.
The council’s decision will be communicated to all registrants on the day of the meeting by email, social media and through our website.