Case examiners introduced to protect patients

Case examiners will now carry out the decision making functions currently performed by the Investigating Committee.

They will have the new power of agreeing undertakings with practitioners in relevant cases, which can happen far earlier in the investigation. Some dental professionals will no longer have to go through lengthy and potentially stressful Practice Committee hearings.

The 14 case examiners – who are a mixture of clinical and lay members – will work in pairs. In each case, one clinical and one lay case examiner will assess the evidence gathered during an investigation and use a suite of outcome options, for example, issuing a warning, offering undertakings (agreements) or taking no further action and closing the case.

When there is a realistic prospect of the dental practitioner’s fitness to practise being impaired, they will refer the case to one of the three Practice Committees (conduct, performance and health). A change in the law means at any point during the investigation, case examiners can refer a serious case to the Interim Orders Committee.