The GDC has launched the next stage of its proposed reforms today, with proposals around guidance for those involved in assessing fitness-to-practise claims.
The 12-week consultation is set to close on Monday 2 November, and areas of particular focus include guidance on sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment and victimisation, offensive behaviour and freedom of expression, and health.
This is the first time the regulator has produced such guidance, and it is part of the wider review into its operations.
There are two sets of guidelines up for consultation – one for the initial assessment stage, and one for the assessment stage.
The GDC said: ‘The work forms part of the GDC's 2026–2028 corporate strategy. One of the GDC's strategic objectives is to improve FtP, maximising patient safety and reducing unintended impacts, and to build trust among the public, the dental profession and its partners.
‘The guidance addresses sexual misconduct and allegations of discrimination, harassment and victimisation. It emphasises the seriousness of these concerns and sets out the factors that decision makers should consider. It also draws on established definitions, including of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility, to help decision makers recognise how discrimination can manifest.’
This follows earlier changes, such as a new approach for single-patient clinical concerns, which it claims has ‘cut the time to complete initial assessment from 30 weeks to 16’.
However, GDPUK has revealed that the average time to complete a full fitness-to-practise investigation is around 51 weeks.
We will have more analysis on this consultation later in the week