BDA taking GDC to Court
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- Published: Friday, 17 October 2014 21:00
- Written by News Editor
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The British Dental Association (BDA) has announced that it has initiated Judicial Review proceedings against the professional regulator the General Dental Council (GDC). The BDA has accused the GDC of failing to provide clear evidence of the policy or business case that have underpinned the proposed 64% fee rise - rendering the regulator’s case unlawful.
Mick Armstrong, Chair of the Principal Executive Committee of the British Dental Association, said: “We are taking unprecedented action because dentists are not prepared to subsidise failure. We are being asked to pay the price for our regulator’s mismanagement, and we won’t stand for it. Patient safety is best served by an effective and efficient regulator. But instead we’ve seen heavy handed tactics, botched complaints handling, and a total absence of accountability. That’s bad for patients and bad for practitioners.
“We are determined to fight for fair fees and decent regulation. We have given the General Dental Council every opportunity to demonstrate they have built a reasoned, evidenced and lawful case for this fee hike. They have chosen not to respond, and now we will leave it to the courts to decide.”
Most dentists are not arguing about the level of the fees, this has come on top of the heavy handed style of regulation, when other organisations see dentistry as a low risk profession. Other august bodies have issued reports damning the GDC style and methods.
GDC plans would see dentists' annual fees rise from £576 to £945 - the highest fee charged by any comparable healthcare regulator, and they will have no choice but to pay, as they must be registered with the GDC in order for them to practise lawfully. The BDA has recently revealed evidence showing that barely two in 10 of its members believe the GDC regulates effectively.
A full guide to the Judicial Review process is available on the BDA website.
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