The General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) consultation on its plans over the next three years is now closed.
Results from the consultation ‘Working with the dental team for public safety and confidence’ will be published later this year.
The dental regulator received 79 responses from dental professionals and stakeholder organisations in the three months it was open.
‘We are proud of the progress made towards delivering what we set out to achieve through Shifting the balance,’ GDC head of policy and research, Rebecca Cooper, said.
‘But we still have some distance to cover to reach our objective of a better, fairer system of dental regulation.
‘This strategy is about fulfilling that objective.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who took the time to tell us their view on our plans.
‘Those views will help us to shape our direction and decision-making for the next three years.
‘We look forward to sharing the finalised strategy later this year.’
‘Welcome step’
Part of the GDC’s plans in its consultation are to better signpost patients to the right place to make complaints.
These plans have been welcomed by the Dental Defence Union (DDU), which says the regulator is on the right track.
The GDC says it aims to develop a coherent system for resolving and routing complaints effectively.
‘The DDU has long advised members that they can reduce the risk of a complainant being taken to the GDC by ensuring their in-house complaints procedure is well signposted,’ John Makin, head of the DDU said.
‘It is important for patients to have a clear and consistent message about how to make a complaint.
‘This will ensure complaints are made to the right organisation that can address them most effectively.
‘The GDC’s corporate strategy is a welcome step towards a more responsive, proportionate and fairer regulatory system which will benefit patients and dentists alike.’
ARF changes
In its consultation the GDC proposes decreasing the ARF for dentists, with a small increase for dental care professionals.
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.’
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