A third (29%) of warnings issued by the GDC in the last five years relate to personal conduct matters.
Of those, three quarters were given as a result of a driving offence, figures from the regulator show.
Just under a third (27%) of warnings were also related to dentists’ record keeping.
‘The GDC investigation process can be very unsettling for dentists who fear that their reputation is at stake,’ Raj Rattan, dental director at Dental Protection, said.
‘If you receive a warning you will have to disclose details of the sanction in any future job applications.
‘Any dentist who receives a published warning will also find details of the warning are put on the GDC website.
‘While many healthcare professionals may feel that personal conduct issues do not necessarily make you unfit to practise, the GDC is clear that dental professionals have a responsibility in their personal life to behave appropriately.’
ARF drop
The GDC is proposing decreasing the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for dentists, with a small increase for dental care professionals.
Launched in its consultation – Working with the dental team for public safety and confidence – the GDC proposes:
- An ARF drop of £150 to around £740 for dentists
- An ARF increase of around £4 to £120 for dental care professionals.
‘The GDC is committed to changing the regulatory landscape,’ explains Ian Brack, GDC chief executive and registrar.
‘This is for the reasons we identified in Shifting the balance.
‘The priorities we identified in that document remain at the core of our ambition for the next three years.’
Delivering objectives
The consultation seeks views about how the GDC should deliver its broad statutory objectives.
The strategy sets out a vision for the GDC to:
- Protect patients while being fair to registrants, cost-effective and proportionate
- Work with the professions and partners to ensure public concerns can be addressed by the right body
- Use evidence, research and evaluation to ensure enforcement is cost-effective and right-touch
- Ensure its approach to regulation keeps pace with change.
‘I hope this opportunity is taken up and as many people as possible give their views,’ Mr Brack adds.
The consultation is open now and can be accessed on the GDC’s website.
The deadline to respond is Thursday 30 July 2019.
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