Primary duty for patient protection

“As you will be aware by now, the Council of the GDC made the decision on October 30 2014 to increase the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for dentists.

“This was not a decision that was taken lightly. Indeed it followed two consultations and a review by the accountancy firm, KPMG to assure the Council that the assumptions underlying the proposal to increase the fee were sound.

“It is worth noting that this is the first increase in the ARF for dentists in four years and follows a period in which we have seen a 110 per cent increase in complaints made to the GDC.

“We have involved the profession on the issue of the ARF since April this year when we launched an initial consultation on the basis on which the ARF should be set.

“Around 65 per cent of respondents agreed that the level of the ARF should directly reflect how much each registrant group – dentists and dental care professionals - costs. The fees agreed for 2015 are based on that approach and on that basis the fee for dentists increases to £890 for 2015. However the fee for dental care professionals, who make up 61.1 per cent of the profession, decreases. It is now set at £116 for 2015.

“The primary driver for the increase in expenditure by the GDC remains the increase in complaints about the Fitness to Practise (FtP) of dental professionals, mainly dentists.