New Standards – GDC Panel Looked at Real-Life Example
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- Published: Tuesday, 24 October 2023 09:34
- Written by Peter Ingle
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GDPUK has written about the GDC’s project to introduce a new set of standards for registrants. Most recently in GDPUK.com - GDC Working on New Standards for Professionalism we described the first part of one of the series of webinars they are running on the subject.
Those wondering how this will actually affect them in practice have now been given a preview, provided in the second part of the GDC session, and reported below.
The laller half of the GDC webinar included a panel discussion intended to consider a scenario to see how the new standards might influence decision making.
It was based upon a situation readers will be familiar with: A patient is in pain and requests an extraction of a molar tooth. It appears that their priorities are speed and low cost. An examination reveals that the tooth is restorable.
The GDC had assembled a panel to discuss this. Contributions in this discussion came from:
- James Neilson: Senior Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Programme Director for MSc Dental Technology. Expert Witness/Clinical Advisor for the General Dental Council. Executive Board Member for the BACDT.
- Laura Cross: BDA board member and former Consultant in Restorative Dentistry.
- Jo Clift: Medical Malpractice Underwriter at CFC Underwriting Limited.
- Simon Thornton-Wood (STW): Chief Executive the College of General Dentistry & Chair, LSA Charitable Trust.
- Shamir Mehta: Professor (full) Aesthetic Dentistry, CoMD, Ulster University/ Senior Clinical Advisor, GDC/ Visiting Professor Radboud University, NL/ Senior Clinical Teacher, King’s College London.
- Mike Morrison: Dentist at {my}dentist and Clinical Development Advisor.
In a wide ranging discussion, it was Simon Thornton Wood’s input that most suggested a recognition of the complexity and challenges of the scenario. A common thread gradually emerged, that records and consent were crucial. For much of the discussion it appeared that the majority of the panel had an agenda, which may have involved very worthy objectives, such as better team working and skill mix, but did not really address the scenario that was supposed to be under discussion.
It took Mike Morrison towards the end of the discussion to point out that even when the panel had discussed the scenario, they had little if anything to say about how the new standards would impact upon the decision making required.
For this viewer one stand-out was the contribution of Shamir Mehta. He was concerned that some young applicants for associate jobs at his practices regarded their record keeping abilities to be just as important as their clinical skills. He went on to give the impression it was his opinion that too much was made of extensive note keeping, and that not every option discussed with patients needed to be written up in great detail.
As the discussion broadened out a couple of ideas were floated which would represent a break with the past. One was that standards might not be the same for all types of dental professional. The other was that standards might vary to reflect the type of practice, and the example of NHS and Private practice was offered.
Key take home points from the session for this viewer were:
There will be a shift from rules based standards, a decision has already been made by the GDC.
There may be parts that are a living document, subject to periodic change, and requiring registrants to keep up with such changes. It is hard to see how else the ambitions of the new guidance and supportive materials would be met.
The GDC online supportive materials have the potential to promote a culture of gold plating and strict adherence to guidance.
The discussion about different standards for different groups, based upon training, career stage, and fees paid, has begun.
There will be more room for interpretation, and as a result increased potential for disagreement, dispute and enforcement.
According to the GDC emails providing the link for this session: “These events are being recorded and published on our website so that a wider audience can benefit from the discussions.”
GDPUK endeavours to provide an honest report for its readers, and if any reader feels that this item in any way misrepresents that particular session, it will be pleased to publish your comments.
While we would love to hear from all interested parties, some engagement from the GDC’s engagement team would be particularly welcome.
The descriptions above of the GDC’s chosen panellists have been taken from their current Linkedin entries, on the assumption that this reflects the way that they would wish to be recognised.
This is not a “we watched it so you don’t have to” news item. The GDC have said that they want input from interested parties. This can be done either by viewing the proposals on the GDC website, Exploring professionalism (gdc-uk.org) and commenting, or contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Showing a commitment to engagement, Ms Bottrell’s message to registrants was “please don’t be shy.” She also offered to come and give bespoke presentations to interested groups.
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