Fit to regulate?

07 August 2014
News
01 January 0001
Volume 29 · Issue 10

According to a survey nearly eight in 10 BDA members don’t believe GDC can regulate effectively.

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.

“The GDC can start by shutting down this flawed consultation, and thinking again. Because today there is one question on the minds of vast majority of dentists: is the GDC fit to regulate?”                

A detailed video summary of the survey research is available to view here:http://youtu.be/X0H6oz8KsTA

Headlines:

Between July 11 and July 21 2014, BDA members were surveyed about the proposed increase. Nearly 6,000 members, or 42 per cent of those invited to take part, responded.

  • 79 per cent of members are not confident that the GDC is regulating dentists effectively.

  • Only 9 per cent of respondents thought the GDC was fair in the way it treats registrants.

  • Just 12 per cent of respondents thought it was transparent.

  • Fewer than 8 per cent agreed that the GDC was proportionate in its dealings with registrants.

  • 77 per cent felt the GDC was not interested in their opinions when it holds a public consultation.

  • 66 per cent of those who had experience of the GDC’s Fitness to Practise function rated the function fairly poor or very poor.

  • 98 per cent disagreed with the proposed ARF hike - 54.4 per cent supported a rise in line with inflation.