GDC given the Red Card
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- Published: Friday, 05 December 2014 16:40
- Written by News Editor
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At a Special Conference of Local Dental Committees (LDCs) held in London on Dec 5, a motion expressing no confidence in the General Dental Council (GDC) was passed clearly and unanimously. Delegates raised their red cards to show their profound disapproval, not only about the massive increase in retention fee, but also the way that the GDC operates.
Initially, Ian Gordon proposed the motion, with carefully chosen words.
Philip Martin of Leicester spoke for the motion. He was followed by Paul Kelly, who spoke a passionate few words. The debate was summed up by Henrik Overgaard Neilson.
Some points from the debate
The gulf between the profession and GDC is profound. There has rarely been something which has unified dentists as in this case.
Our society expects freedom of speech to complain sometimes without responsibility. So complaints regarding dentistry have risen, much more than for comparable professions. Could the regulator not find ways to help the profession prevent complaints rather than allowing more and more formal hearings happen?
The Chair of GDC does not understand that the profession is tied by standards of the profession, and Dentistry reminds him ‘we are not a supermarket’. We do not compete by driving down the prices to our consumers, our profession wishes to provide best care for our patients, this is not the same as a retail model. The GDC is certainly not working to this model, it can charge its registrants whatever it wants.
There is a discrepancy between how the GMC and GDC handle complaints. The GMC triages out most complaints, but the GDC allows most through. The GDC needs to learn from the GMC about how to manage complaints, and in this way reduce the retention fee to a similar level.
Throwing money at the GDC allows it to continue along this path, the GDC needs to listen and adapt with responsibility to the profession as well as to the comsumers of dentistry. Indemnity costs in England have now risen to 2.5 times the cost of Scotland, same GDC, but different NHS dental system. This has risen since the discredited UDA system was imposed unilaterally in March 2006.
There is a need to leave behind the culture of fear. Victory at judicial review, brought by the BDA on behalf of its members, to be heard on 15th December, will be a first step towards this.
The GDC were invited to speak at the Conference, but Chair Bill Moyes declined in a letter to the LDC Conference Chair.
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