An Open Letter to The CEO & Registrar, Chair of the GDC, and the Council Members.
Dear Ms Gilvarry and Mr Moyes, and the General Dental Council members.
Today has been a landmark day for the UK dental profession.
It is now apparent that it is not only the Dental Profession that had doubts over the veracity and legality of the case presented for the increase in the Annual Retention Fee, but our legal system has also condemned the process.
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With the massive interest from the UK dental profession in the outcome of the BDA Judicial Review against GDC, in which the GDC Consultation was declared by Hon Justice Cranston in the High Court as unlawful, GDPUK had a record day of visitors to this dental website.
On an average day, around 4,000 people visit GDPUK, and on Thursday 18th December this rose to 10,200.
News articles published on the site attracted 12,000 readers within 24 hours, too.
The General Dental Council (GDC) has been found to have acted unlawfully in a landmark judgement this morning (18 December). The BDA was awarded costs, and has now called on government to act on inadequate health regulation. PEC chair Mick Armstrong said: “Today a judge singled out a ‘gaping hole’ in the GDC's arguments. The regulator demonstrated it wasn't clear on its own powers and claimed it was facing ‘administrative chaos’. And that utter confusion has allowed it to escape the full weight of the law.”
The General Dental Council (GDC) has refused to express any contrition over losing the argument over the ARF in court. It recognises that it made a ‘procedural error’, but will be faced with both its and the BDA’s legal costs. It ends its statement by threatening those who don’t pay the £890 fee with removal from the register.
Today at 10am in Court 3, Hon Justice Cranston announced his ruling on the Judicial Review of the consultation on retention fees for dentists carried out by General Dental Council [GDC], the case being brought by the British Dental Association [BDA].
The judge ruled that the consultation was unlawful and the GDC to pay the costs of the case. However the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) will remain at £890, as set by GDC, and is payable by dentists by 31st December.
GDPUK has heard from a reliable source that Henry Schein has today (Dec 17) purchased Claudius Ash/Planmeca in the UK. Although it has not been possible to confirm this, we understand that the deal will be announced tomorrow.