The General Dental Council (GDC) has released its new Annual Retention Fee (ARF) level for 2023 and confirmed its new three-year strategy.
The GDC has today released an increased ARF level for 2023.
The new fee will be £690 for dentists – an increase of 1.5% – and £114 for dental care professionals.
This comes after rising fears in the dental profession over energy bills and the cost of living.
The GDC had warned that the ARF might have to increase due to high and sustained inflation.
As a result, this meant the regulator could make ‘prudent provision for inflation’ in order to keep any new costs ‘as low as possible for dental professionals’, the GDC states.
As such, if inflation continues to rise, the GDC ‘commits’ to ensuring costs are limited to the rate of inflation at most.
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The GDC points out that the 1.5% ARF fee increase is below the current rate of inflation of 10.1%.
Therefore, the regulator believes the new cost enables it to maintain patient safety while managing financial risk.
‘It’s essential that we manage financial risks’
GDC Chair, Lord Toby Harris, said: ‘I’d like to thank everyone who shared their views with us on our plans for the next three years.
‘We have listened to that feedback and look forward to publishing our final strategy in the coming months.
‘Some of that feedback related to the fees we charge, and we’re really pleased to have been able to further challenge our own costs and deliver a lower ARF for dental professionals in 2023 than we initially forecast.
‘We have statutory duties and so, to ensure these are fulfilled, we must be financially viable. But that is not the only reason we must continue to operate – I believe dental professionals gain great benefit from regulation as it is one of the things that underpins the reputation of the professions as a whole.’
GDC chief executive and registrar, Ian Brack, said: ‘In the current uncertain and volatile economic climate, it’s essential that we manage financial risks – particularly those relating to inflation.
‘We’re confident that our expenditure plans will ensure we are able to fulfil our primary role of maintaining patient safety and public confidence.
‘While we will continue to aggressively manage costs, as we have said we may need to increase the level of the fee in the future.
‘Any such increase will, at most, be in line with the rate of inflation at the time, or as a result of other exceptional and unanticipated circumstances.’
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