DDU Offers Helping Hand To GDC Investigation Victims
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- Published: Wednesday, 16 August 2023 08:59
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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The death of a loved one. Divorce. Moving house. Major illness. Selling your practice. To the list of ‘most stressful events in life’ there’s a not dental professional in the land who wouldn’t add ‘being investigated by the GDC’ to that unwanted roll call.
Recognising the extreme stress endured by clinicians under investigation, the Dental Defence Union (‘DDU’) has announced a Peer Support Service.
Launched in 2020 to help medical professionals undergoing GMC investigations, the ‘Peer Support Service’ has been expanded to include DDU members. It connects members with a reassuring colleague who has been through a similar experience.
Commenting on the initiative, Dr Matthew Lee, MDU chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be able to extend the peer support programme to our dental professional members. The programme connects members who are struggling with a GDC investigation with a colleague who has been through a similar process. These colleagues offer personal support, guidance and reassurance.
Members have told us time and again that dealing with incidents can impact both their professional and personal lives. Having a conversation with a colleague who has been through something similar and come out of the other side, can be a huge comfort.”
Dr Tom Norfolk MDU vice president said: “Our dedicated team of dento-legal and medico-legal advisers took over 21,000 calls on our advice lines in 2022.
As a mutual, defence organisation we are owned and led by healthcare professionals who know what it’s like to be on the frontline of patient care. At a time of such pressure, members’ interests are at the heart of everything we do.”
Further results highlighted in the MDU’s annual report for 2022 include:
- 50% of dental member cases at the GDC Practice Committee were concluded with no finding of impairment. The equivalent GDC figure for outcomes overall is 27% (for 2021).
- During 2022, 66% of dental claims were closed without damages being paid. For medical and dental cases that made it to trial, we had a success rate of 60%.
The DDU announced the initiative to coincide with its parent company, the Medical Defence Union (MDU), publishing its latest annual report for 2022.
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