The initial enquiries process introduced to improve ‘timeliness and proportionality’ in fitness to practise proceedings will now apply to isolated reports of low-level misconduct.
In November 2024, the General Dental Council (GDC) announced the new process which limits the amount of information gathered at the initial stages of a fitness to practise investigation.
At that time, the initial enquiries process applied to single-patient cases involving a dental professional with no other concerns raised within the past year. The GDC announced today (1 July) that it would be extended to include isolated cases of perceived unprofessional behaviour. This might include perceived rudeness or abruptness, or a low-level clinical practice issue.
However cases that suggest a pattern of behaviour and those including a registrant with previous allegations within the past 12 months will continue to be excluded. More severe accusations such as alleged verbal abuse or severe aggression will also be subject to a full investigation.
Theresa Thorp, executive director of regulation at the GDC, said: ‘This new approach seeks to maintain public confidence in the professions while reducing the negative impact that lengthy investigations can have on the health and wellbeing of participants.’
How does the initial enquiries process improve fitness to practise proceedings?
The initial enquiries process was trialled with a pilot scheme in September 2023. The GDC said this ‘demonstrated that the approach can significantly reduce the average time it takes to conclude an investigation’.
According to the GDC’s findings, cases took an average of 13 weeks to conclude during the pilot, compared to 30 weeks for single-incident cases outside of the scheme.
Of approximately 250 cases investigated during the pilot, 84% were concluded at the assessment stage with no further action.
This led to the adoption of the process in November 2024. Theresa Thorp stressed the positive impact this could have on the wellbeing of dental professionals. She said: ‘By taking a different approach with certain types of cases, we are working to reduce the negative health and wellbeing impacts of our investigations for all participants in regulatory proceedings.
‘Ongoing research is helping us understand the difference these changes make, and we are committed to further improvements based on the insights gathered.’
The GDC is still considering ways to reduce the wellbeing impact of fitness to practise proceedings. Theresa Thorpe concluded: ‘We are particularly keen to receive feedback and ideas on how the fitness to practise process could be improved to ensure investigations are concluded in a timely way so we can minimise the stress on all parties.’
Remediation
The GDC has also published research into using remediation earlier in the fitness to practise process. It found broad support for tailored and targeted remediation but acknowledged that views may vary on whether remediation is an acceptable resolution.
The GDC said ‘earlier interventions focused on remediation, empathy and learning’ could reduce the punitive effect of the fitness to practise process.
Stefan Czerniawski, GDC executive director of strategy, said: ‘We know that fitness to practise investigations can be long drawn out and feel overly complex in relation to the issues raised, often leading to feelings of mistrust in and fear of the process among registrants. We need to think differently if we want that to change.
‘We’re using these research findings to inform our thinking on whether early evidence of remediation can play a greater role in the fitness to practise process and lead to more proportionate outcomes in some cases.’
The regulator also said it was moving towards a more prevention-focused model that ‘protects the public and prioritises learning and development to mitigate risk’.
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