PSA report provides grounds for optimism for the GDC - says Dental Protection

Dental Protection believes the dental profession will be disappointed to see that the General Dental Council (GDC) remains at the bottom of the league table of UK healthcare regulators in the Professional Standards Authority’s (PSA) 2014/15 Performance Review Report that accompanies the latest Annual Report and accounts of PSA. Although this is an unsatisfactory situation, Dental Protection is urging the GDC to act on the feedback and continue taking steps in a sensible direction.

Overall, the PSA found that the GDC had failed to meet almost one third (seven out of 24) of the PSA’s Standards of Good Regulation – and was particularly critical of the Fitness to Practise procedures. This time last year it was placed broadly on a par with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as one of the two worst-performing regulators; however this year the GDC is the only regulator which is failing to meet six or more of the 24 Standards of Good Regulation.

The PSA Report has reached similar conclusions as those regularly and loudly voiced by Dental Protection, and has highlighted many of the same concerns, in identical areas of the Fitness to Practise process.

Kevin Lewis, Dental Protection’s Director, said:

“Nobody in UK dentistry should take any satisfaction from the PSA’s report and this is no time for any “I told you so” comments.

The GDC has been at pains to highlight the fact that this report refers not to the Fitness to Practise process as it exists today, but as it operated months ago. To the GDC’s credit, they have taken these criticisms on the chin and have already been entering into constructive dialogue with Dental Protection, and with other interested parties, listening to both constructive criticisms and well-intentioned suggestions in equal measure and are taking sensible steps in the right direction. They should receive all due credit for that.

The profession may well be sceptical about the GDC’s “that was then and this is now” stance. For this approach to remain credible, it is essential that “now” must remain demonstrably and sustainably different from “then”.

We are emerging from a wholly unsatisfactory situation and previous unrealised expectations that place even greater emphasis on the long-term maintenance and embedding of the recent encouraging improvements. There is still plenty of work to be done, but there are more grounds for optimism than the PSA’s latest report might suggest. We look forward to our continued engagement with the GDC as they make further improvements over the upcoming months.”

For further comment please contact David Croser, Dental Protection on +44 (0)207 399 1397 or email [email protected] for more information.

Notes to Editors

1. PSA 2014/15 Performance Review Report
2. Dental Protection Limited is registered in England (No. 2374160) and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Medical Protection Society Limited (MPS) which is registered in England (No.36142). Both companies use Dental Protection as a trading name and have their registered office at 33 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PS.
3. Dental Protection serves and supports the dental members of MPS with access to the full range of benefits of membership, which are all discretionary, and set out in MPS’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. MPS is not an insurance company. Dental Protection® is a registered trademark of MPS.