College Of General Dentistry Officially Launched With Address By New GDC Chair
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- Published: Friday, 22 October 2021 08:22
- Written by Chris Tapper
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The new College of General Dentistry was officially launched at the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall in London last night.
The reception marked the final separation of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and its transfer into the new College of General Dentistry (CGDent).
And to mark the event, the new Chair of the General Dental Council, Lord Toby Harris, gave the keynote speech, his first public address to members of the dental profession.
The College said the reception “Marked the birth of CGDent, the formation of which has realised the ultimate ambition of the FGDP’s founding members to establish an independent college for general dental practice.”
In his opening address, CGDent President Dr Abhi Pal said “The dental environment has changed considerably in the past few decades, not only in the clinical sciences and technology, but also in the shape of the workforce.”
“Our college reflects and recognises the importance of this full workforce by welcoming as members and fellows, all dental professionals, dentists, nurses, hygienists therapists and technicians, so that together we can work to fulfil the mission of the college.”
“That mission is to promote provision of the best care we are able to for our patients. And ultimately, play our role in improving the oral health of the nation.”
During his keynote address, Lord Harris said “I believe that the GDC shares many similarities with the College of General Dentistry, along with my fellow council members, half of which are dental professionals and half are. lay members, we work together to ensure that the GDC’s approach to regulation is proportionate and focused on our core purpose, which is patient safety and public confidence.
“And that core purpose is one that you also share with the GDC.”
Lord Harris said he felt that the new College and the regulator had other things in common.
The GDC Chair said “We both believe that everyone in the dental team plays a vital role in the wider healthcare system, seeing millions of people each year, millions of patients each year to support all good oral and dental health.”
“And the GDC, is the regulator of the WHOLE dental team across the four nations of the UK, with the objective of ensuring that the public are protected, that they have confidence in dental services, and that professional standards are maintained.”
Lord Harris continued “And as we celebrate the official launch of this new college, we can see that the college puts patients absolutely at the heart of what you do and that you’ve been explicit in saying that the interests of patients will always come first and and that you’re positive about being responsive to changing needs and expectations of patients.”
“I believe that one of the strengths of the GDC, is that we are the regulator for that entire dental team. And it’s really encouraging to learn that this as this new college is also to benefit and support every member of the dental team.”
Lord Harris said he was pleased that the College’s vison for career pathways for ALL the professions were central.
He said the College’s vision “Chimes in with the GDC’s upstream agenda, which includes education standards and career long learning. We believe that there should be learning opportunities for everyone throughout their career, whether that be for a safe beginner or for an experienced accomplished practitioner, and for everyone in between.”
During his address, Lord Harris announced that earlier in the day, the GDC Council had made the decision to maintain the Annual Retention Fee levels for 2022, at its current level.
But he warned “It’s clear to me that we’re in an environment where there is significant uncertainty for the sector. Caused, perhaps not just by the effects of COVID-19, but also by the likely upcoming regulatory reform. Those uncertainties must not be allowed to affect our ability to ensure patient safety in the months and years ahead.”
In his opening address, Dr Pal emphasised that in the College “We want to be open, progressive, and welcoming, not narrow elitist and exclusive.”
“Our desire as a college to embrace the values of equality, diversity and inclusivity, and let’s remember that central to the high performance of our dental teams, and the quality of service to our patients.
“We will work with others in the profession to banish discrimination in all its forms, and to promote equality of opportunity. And by that I refer to the opportunity to enter our profession, opportunity in accessing professional development, and perhaps most importantly, equality of opportunity in reaching leadership positions.”
In closing, Professor Nairn Wilson, the Honorary Founding President of CGDent said “At long last dentistry has its own independent UK wide college. And it’s a college for the whole dental team.”
“That is a world first. I am not aware of any college or Royal College, anywhere in the world that embraces the whole healthcare team. We’ve done it, we’re a first.”
“Not only have we survived the pandemic which has been terrible and very demanding, but we are shifting from old traditional style dentistry to new longitudinal minimal interactive preventatively orientated, patient care, something many of us have always wanted to do.
“I hope the college will help drive the agenda,” Prof Wilson concluded.
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