The General Dental Council (GDC) has launched a consultation on proposals to replace the Standards for the Dental Team with a new Framework for Professionalism.
The GDC said the new framework would be the primary measure to fulfil its promise to ‘support dental professionals to provide safe and effective care for their patients’.
The regulator acknowledged that the standards have been criticised since their introduction in 2023 for being ‘overly prescriptive’. It hopes the updated guidance will allow clinicians to apply their professional judgement more freely.
‘We want to regulate in a way that promotes learning over fear and protects patient safety by focusing on what makes things go right,’ said Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy at the GDC.
The four principles of professionalism introduced by the new framework will be supported by expectations, statutory professional guidance, and practical resources like case studies, blogs and videos. The GDC said these supporting materials can be updated to respond to changing needs, unlike the current model.
The framework has been developed through research, testing and engagement with the profession, patients, associations, educators and indemnifiers. It has also been subject to legal and operational testing to ensure it is compatible with existing fitness to practise processes.
The council stressed that the expectation to ensure patient safety and public confidence in dentistry would not change, but it would become easier to apply professional judgement confidently.
Views on the Standards for the Dental Team from the profession
Before it can be put into practice, the GDC has opened a consultation for dental professionals and other stakeholders to share their views – it can be accessed here.
If approved, the GDC collaborate with stakeholders to develop the supporting material to help dental professionals understand and apply the new framework in practice.
Czerniawski added: ‘This consultation marks a big step towards making regulation work better for dental professionals and their patients, with a new approach which is simpler, clearer and more accessible. In place of detailed rules, there are four clear principles, which are supported by expectations and guidance designed to help professionals to apply their judgement with confidence.
‘The proposals are important and we look forward to hearing responses to the consultation from everybody with an interest in dental regulation.’
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