A recent change in legislation permits dental practitioners who have been issued with a warning by the GDC’s Investigating Committee the right to request a review of the warning if they believe it is flawed, provided it is made within two years. This means the dental practitioner is not forced to resort to a potentially lengthy and expensive judicial review in order to challenge the decision.
According to GDC guidance however, the change was not retrospective and did not apply to dental practitioners who were issued a warning between April 14, 2014 and when the new legislation came in to effect.
Dental Protection has argued successfully to a High Court that the change in legislation should have retrospective effect. This enables a practitioner who has received a warning in the past two years to request a review of the decision, provided the application is made within two years of the date of the warning.
Raj Rattan, dental director of Dental Protection said: “Our success in challenging the way in which the GDC interprets its own rules will be beneficial not just to our members, but to the wider profession.
“We brought a judicial review against the GDC’s decision because we believe that the dental regulator must be fair and accountable in all its dealings. This case helped to protect an individual from damage, but significantly, the benefit of this decision will also apply for those who have received a warning after 2014 and before the law changed in April 2016.
“The risks involved for practitioners seeking a review of a decision are limited, because they cannot be referred to the GDC’s Professional Conduct Committee as a result. This is good news for Dental Protection members and all the dentists practising in the UK.
“We are proud to say Dental Protection can support members in situations that arise unexpectedly and it is one of the many positive benefits of the discretion that underpins the membership we offer.”