Your verdict on the GDC: Unfit, unfair and unresponsive
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- Published: Thursday, 18 September 2014 09:51
- Written by News Editor
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The British Dental Association (BDA) has responded to publication of responses to the General Dental Council’s (GDC) consultation on proposed increases to the annual retention fee (ARF). The data shows that 97% of respondents have rejected the GDC’s proposed 64% fee rise. An overwhelming majority have also questioned the regulator’s justification for any fee rise, and the measures it has taken to cut costs.
Over 4,000 individual respondents took part in the GDC consultation. The BDA has argued that the comments provided by thousands of dentists point to a fundamental crisis of confidence in the dental regulator.
Mick Armstrong, Chair of the British Dental Association Principal Executive Committee, said: “Today we are reading through 183 pages capturing the views of dental professionals across Britain on the GDC’s planned ARF hike. The overwhelming majority of those who responded do not feel the GDC has made anything resembling a case for a super-sized fee rise. Indeed over half of respondents said they would like more information. But there are bigger and more fundamental questions raised here, about a regulator that is already failing to provide value for money.
“On 18th September, the GDC Council meets to discuss next steps, and these documents are required reading. An executive summary simply cannot do justice to the thousands of voices from across the profession that have simply lost trust in their professional regulator. I want to express my personal thanks to everyone who took the time to complete this consultation. This is about more than an unjustified fee hike. Each and every one of you have provided documentary evidence on a regulator that is simply not fit for purpose.”
Headline Statistics from the GDC
We (the GDC) said we would provide a clear account of our resource needs for 2015, do you agree we have?
Yes 34%
No 66%
We (the GDC) said we would provide a clear account of what we are doing to keep costs under control, do you agree we have?
Yes 20%
No 80%
Based on the principle that we (the GDC) will only charge dentists what it costs us to regulate them, do you agree that the ARF for dentists in 2015 should be £945 to enable the GDC to raise sufficient funds to deliver its statutory functions?
Yes 3%
No 97%
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