This follows a ministerial statement that confirmed the government’s plans to modernise the legislative frameworks for only the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professional Council during this parliament.
Raj Rattan, Dental Protection’s dental director, said, “While we welcome the new government’s commitment to reforming healthcare professional regulation, we cannot help but note that successive governments have not prioritised substantive reform to dentistry legislation. This week’s announcement confirms that GDC reform is at the back of the queue and presumably will not progress during this parliamentary term.
“We have been calling for GDC reform for some time, as the current framework continues to limit the regulator’s ability to efficiently carry out its functions.
“In our 2023 survey of 125 dental professionals who have been investigated by the dental regulator, 82 per cent said the process had a detrimental impact on their mental health. While the GDC still has scope to make significant improvements, reform to their outdated legislation could play a key role in further reducing delays to fitness to practise processes, as it could give the regulator greater discretion to not take forward investigations where allegations clearly do not require action.
“GDC reform should not be an afterthought. We urge the government to find time to deliver this alongside planned reforms to other regulators.”
The Dental Defence Union (DDU) has also expressed its disappointment that regulatory reform for dental professionals has not been included in the announcement.
John Makin, head of the DDU, commented, “It is disappointing that regulatory reform of the dental sector was not included in the government's intentions to reform other parts of the healthcare system.
“We welcome the news that regulatory reform is on the government’s agenda, but it appears that dental reform is again at the back of the queue.
“The GDC has some of the oldest governing legislation of any UK-wide healthcare professional regulators. Dental professionals have long been promised change but are still waiting for action from the government.
“With the promise to reform healthcare professional regulation on the table, the DDU will continue campaigning for the government to address long overdue reforms for dental professionals.”