The General Dental Council (GDC) has today announced that the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for 2024 will see a reduction of 10% for dentists and 15.8% for dental care professionals.
As a result, the 2024 ARF for dentists will come to £621 – a reduction of £69. In addition, the ARF for dental care professionals will be reduced by £18, for a total of £96.
This comes after the GDC’s council reviewed its priorities for the next three years in line with the Corporate Strategy 2023-2025.
The council intends to retain the ARF at the same level for 2025 ‘to provide certainty for registrants’. However, this decision will be made once the GDC reviews its priorities and external economic factors next year.
‘Financial uncertainty’
Lord Toby Harris is GDC chair. Commenting on the ARF decision, he said: ‘Council has set fees at a level that ensures we can continue to fulfil our statutory role of maintaining patient safety and public confidence for the next year. Although we will review the GDC’s plans again next year, we will go into this with an intention to maintain the ARF at the same level in 2025.
‘The level of uncertainty around income and expenditure remains high, due to ongoing volatility in the UK economy.
‘While the GDC is confident that the lower level of the ARF will provide the income required for 2024, it will be reviewed for 2025 by council. In 2025, council consult on the Corporate Strategy for 2026-2028, which will then set the ARF for subsequent years.’
GDC chief executive and registrar, Ian Brack, said: ‘The GDC faces continuing high inflation, financial uncertainty and external risk. We are engaged in a major review of how we take forward international registration in the light of our revised powers, and we are investing in additional capacity to help maintain or improve performance.
‘Nevertheless, we have been able to produce a robust plan which delivers these activities and is also expected to provide a reduced ARF for registrants for the remainder of the 2023-2025 strategy period.’
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