The benefits of the legislative changes that the regulator encouraged the government to introduce in 2023 are already being seen, with substantial increases in the capacity of the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) already in place. However, those legislative changes are still not fully in force, and it will take time to capture the full benefits, which starts with letting new contracts to providers. The procurement process for that is well underway.
The GDC is also pleased to see that the government has recognised the case they have been making for the introduction of provisional registration for internationally qualified dentists. This has the potential to bring dentists into the workforce more quickly, to help them adapt to practising in the UK environment with support and supervision, and to provide a valuable alternative to the ORE.
The regulator looks forward to working with the government to support the legislative changes necessary to create the provisional registration route and working with the health services and education providers of all four nations to develop the required practical arrangements.
As the government has acknowledged, exploring automatic recognition of international qualifications from outside the EEA is also a potential route to increase the number of dental professionals who can practise in the UK.
For all new dental professionals seeking to work in the UK, whether qualified here or in other countries, the GDC’s priorities are that standards are maintained, patients are safe, and the public is protected. Internationally qualified dental professionals make a vital and very welcome contribution to dental care across the UK, and the GDC wants to ensure that the registration process does not impose unnecessary obstacles. Increasing the flow of new international dental professionals can make a useful contribution to addressing the wider challenges of dental provision, but it cannot provide a solution to them.
Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy, said, “We very much welcome the government’s openness to new ideas for ways of streamlining international registration. Provisional registration is an exciting opportunity that will require commitment and collaboration from across dentistry on the design and delivery of the new approach – we need to move at pace, but we need to take the time to get this right.
“We will not compromise on the standards we expect new registrants to meet, so we will need to work together to ensure that dentists will be effectively supervised and supported to practise while working under provisional registration, so that the public is protected.”