New Legislation will simplify registration for International Dentists
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- Published: Monday, 06 March 2023 05:33
- Written by Peter Ingle
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There may be some awkward conversations to come between senior GDC personnel and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the subject of international registrants.
After making little progress in solving the access crisis, the DHSC is desperate to get more dentists working in the NHS. Getting more international dentists working in the UK has become a key part of their strategy to get the bad news stories about dentistry, out of the headlines. The only problem was that the GDC process to convert an overseas dentist into a UK registrant, has long provided a bottleneck in the supply of fresh dentists.
Overseas applicants sit the GDC’s Overseas Registrants Exam, (ORE) which has two parts. To join the register applicants need to pass both the written part 1, and clinical part 2, within a five year period. The GDC has struggled to meet demand and the disruption from the pandemic meant that some applicants were at risk of falling foul of the five year rule.
The most recent results available for August 2022 show a 49% pass rate for candidates sitting both parts 1 a and 1 b. For part 2 in September 2022, the overall pass rate was 41%. Each part can be attempted up to four times. There are two or three sets of exams each year, and up to 200 places for each period sitting part 1, and 144 places for part 2. As a result, only a modest number of overseas trained dentists are likely to make it on to the GDCs register each year.
The GDC has long argued that existing legislation tied its hands when it came to streamlining the ORE. Recently though, the DHSC had promised that, at last, new legislation was coming. The Order has now been published and comes into effect on March 8th. In the words of the GDC it will replace “outdated and rigid rules governing the process for international registration.” The changes will help those affected by the pandemic, allowing more time to sit the exam. It will also close the loophole that allowed international dentists to register as therapists, even after failing the ORE practical.
The GDC say that, “The reforms provide the flexible framework and powers needed to update and modernise processes for the registration of those who qualify outside of the UK. These will take some time to develop, but provide an opportunity to create a new approach that meets the needs of applicants, the public and the sector.”
The GDC will carry out a consultation on proposed new ORE rules in the coming months.
The DHSC will be encouraged to read GDC Executive Director, Strategy, Stefan Czerniawski’s comments that, “Removing the overly prescriptive constraints is an important first step to creating a more effective system. But the longer-term challenge will then be to develop new approaches which maintain the rigour of our standards while ensuring that there is sufficient capacity to meet demand.”
As the access crisis drags on, the GDC may find that it is under considerable pressure to prioritise capacity over standards.
ORE/LDS
Do we really think that the GDC will be able organise anything better than the ORE in a timely way? Why not devote some resources to providing overseas dentists with preparatory training. If they want more dentists, this would be cheaper than training more UK dental students. I know of refugee dentists, often very experienced colleagues, delivering pizzas, stacking shelves or, if they manage to get a dental job, being limited to working as trainee dental nurses. It's such a waste.ORE/LDS
Do we really think that the GDC will be able organise anything better than the ORE in a timely way? Why not devote some resources to providing overseas dentists with preparatory training. If they want more dentists, this would be cheaper than training more UK dental students. I know of refugee dentists, often very experienced colleagues, delivering pizzas, stacking shelves or, if they manage to get a dental job, being limited to working as trainee dental nurses. It's such a waste.ORE/LDS
Do we really think that the GDC will be able organise anything better than the ORE in a timely way? Why not devote some resources to providing overseas dentists with preparatory training. If they want more dentists, this would be cheaper than training more UK dental students. I know of refugee dentists, often very experienced colleagues, delivering pizzas, stacking shelves or, if they manage to get a dental job, being limited to working as trainee dental nurses. It's such a waste.You need to be logged in to leave comments.
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