Fit to regulate?

A British Dental Association (BDA) survey revealed a growing crisis of confidence among dentists in their professional regulator – with nearly eight in 10 respondents casting doubt on the General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) ability to perform its regulatory function.  

As the GDC prepares to ramp up its annual retention fee (ARF) by an inflation busting 64 per cent the BDA has warned that more ‘heavy handed’ tactics risk further undermining the trust on which professional regulation depends. 

Mick Armstrong, chair of the BDA's Principal Executive Committee, said “Sound regulation depends on fairness, proportionality and transparency. And fundamentally it requires trust. The GDC is now failing on all these counts.

“Dentists demand effective regulation. But what we are getting from the GDC is heavy handedness, inefficiency and the expectation we will pick up the tab for their mismanagement.

“This outrageous fee increase has only served to confirm what many had long suspected about the GDC. There is a real crisis of confidence between dentists and their regulator, and it must now be resolved.