Proposed annual retention fees rejected

Responding to a GDC consultation on proposals to charge dentists £890 and dental care professionals £116 to retain their registration with the regulator throughout 2016, FGDP said it could not support the sustenance of this year’s ‘extraordinarily high’ ARF – which had risen 55 per cent on the previous year – into next year.

Explaining its position, FGDP cited the GDC’s poor performance, the ARF being significantly higher than for similar health professions, and the lack of explanation by the GDC of the doubling of its caseload over a period in which the Care Quality Commission found dentists provided safe, good quality care with a lower risk to patient safety than other sectors.

The Faculty also rejected the GDC’s plans to use the ARF to build up further financial reserves, suggested the GDC is attempting to establish the current ARF as a ‘baseline’, and said the GDC could cut costs by promoting resolution of complaints at the practice level.