GDC Actions More Dentists - Then Snarls At MDDUS
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- Published: Thursday, 24 February 2022 07:27
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Two pieces of recent news might just bring a glimmer of hope to the many practices trying to find dentists to fill their vacant posts, but with a third having the opposite effect. All involve the GDC.
The logjam of overseas applicants will be relieved to know that the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) will be restarting.
It was suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Part 1 exams will be held on dates this April and August with a limit of 200 applicants in each month. Part 2 will be offered on dates in four months this year, with a limit of 144 applicants each month. Part 2 includes the manikin tests that significant numbers of applicants had been failing and then successfully registering as therapists. The fee for part 1 is £806 and part 2 is £2929. It seems reasonable preparation for overseas dentists at the start of their UK careers, to get then used to paying the GDC for the privilege of what is, no doubt, a stressful experience.
GDC Chief Operating Officer, Gurvinder Soomal, said: “I am grateful to GDC colleagues and our exam providers for their hard work in getting us to this point, but we know there are many candidates waiting to sit the ORE. Publishing the schedule and starting to book candidates on exams today are, therefore, vital steps forward in reopening routes for overseas qualified dentists to be able to come and work here in the UK.”
Until this announcement the manpower crisis looked set to get far worse, with the ending in sight of the exemption for EU graduates from sitting the ORE, following Brexit.
Meanwhile the consultation on changes to legislation for international applicants, which will apply to the GDC and NMC, (Nursing and Midwifery Council) has opened. The consultation at Changes to the General Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s international registration legislation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) runs until May 6th. According to the GOV.UK website, the stated aim of the new legislation is to provide the two regulators with greater flexibility, to amend their international registration processes by removing “prescriptive detail” from the legislation. It will also protect ORE candidates who could fall foul of the 5 year time limit for completing both parts of the exam, as a result of the pandemic. The importance of the changes is underlined by the explanation that in 2020, 35% of new GDC registrants qualified outside the UK, 22% being from the EU. Amongst other features the new laws will allow regulator to regulator agreements to recognise qualifications. The Dentists Act 1984 as it stands prevents the GDC form putting in place “more flexible ways of assessing applicants’ knowledge, skills and experience”.
GDC Chief Operating Officer, Gurvinder Soomal, commented that the GDC: “welcomed the Government’s proposals to amend the restrictive legislation which governs international routes to registration with the GDC. One aim of the proposals is to address long-standing capacity issues with the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. The proposed changes in law are the first step in removing these issues and we believe they will ensure a proportionate, clear and robust routes to registration for those who have qualified outside the UK.”
Perhaps before signing up, the eager applicants seeking to work in the UK might be interested to read the previous item on the GDC’s news page. Headlined “GDC correction of recent MDDUS statement” the council went on to accuse the MDDUS (Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland) defence organisation of misrepresenting the GDC’s position. This followed the GDC publication of the results of independent academic research on the concept of seriousness in fitness to practise cases, previously reported on GDPUK. MDDUS had according to the GDC, asserted that they, “had urged dental professionals facing fitness to practice concerns to ensure that they engage legal representation.” To eliminate any doubt they added, “That statement is untrue and we asked MDDUS to correct it. They have refused to do so”. This can only add to would-be registrants concerns about the UK environment, when the GDC make such a serious allegation against an organisation known and relied upon for it’s caution and attention to detail.
Asked to comment on the GDC news item Stephen Henderson, MDDUS’s Head of Dental Division, said, “MDDUS has noted the GDC’s latest press release. MDDUS welcomes the findings of the research published by the GDC because the seriousness debate will form an important part of the development of the regulatory reform that is planned. We believe that to achieve the best possible outcome, registrants should seek legal representation as well as engaging fully with the GDC fitness to practise procedures.
MDDUS members can look to MDDUS to provide robust support and legal assistance if they are subject to an investigation by the GDC, regardless of the original trigger for that investigation”.
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