04 • Regulatory


A SUPPORTIVE SYSTEM


The General Dental Council have set out their vision for a fairer regulatory system with a greater focus on prevention. But will it make a difference for dentists?


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UMBERSOME, inefficient and failing to put patient safety at its heart. That is the damning verdict on the current model of dental professional regulation – delivered by none other than the regulator themselves. The General Dental Council have been subject to sustained criticism from various corners of the profession in recent


years, and this latest statement would appear to be some form of mea culpa. The current regulatory model, the GDC say, has become “unsustainable” with “significant change” needed to secure their long-term future. Their solution calls for a fundamental rethink of how dental


professionals are regulated, building on investment and improvements already underway. Their ambitious new programme, Shifting the balance: a better, fairer system of dental regulation, was published in January 2017 and the consultation closed in April. It develops a number of themes set out in a 2016 corporate strategy document which detailed how they would become an “efficient and effective regulator”. This future vision promises a fairer, more focused system where only the most serious complaints are handled by the GDC. This in turn would reduce stress on dentists while putting patients first and perhaps even relieving budgetary pressures. So can it deliver?


Multi-pronged approach The major theme in Shifting the balance is the notion of moving “upstream” (the word appears more than 30 times) which essentially means a move away from enforcement to prevention and partnership


working. This would go hand in hand with more proportionate use of the regulator’s powers, thus saving money by minimising “expensive” enforcement action. Enforcement powers, the GDC say, will only be used when dental professionals put patients at serious risk or damage public confidence in dentistry. They want to “support and empower” the profession and build a more collaborative relationship with the dental team, focusing on a number of different channels to achieve their vision.


Serious cases only The GDC say many of the issues raised with them could be better resolved by other organisations. In its future vision, they would deal only with the most serious cases while lower level issues would be dealt with elsewhere, usually in the practice or care setting. The report states: “We want to work with the profession to ensure


that resolution is sought and found in the most appropriate place. This involves ensuring patients know how, and feel confident, to raise their concerns by the most appropriate route. It also means working to maintain high standards in complaint handling across the profession.” Most practices, they say, operate effective complaints handling


systems but more work needs to be done to strengthen so-called first-tier complaints resolution. The GDC hope to achieve this through measures such as their profession-wide complaints handling initiative, as well as adding complaints handling guidance into registrant welcome packs. It is also hoped more complaints can be resolved locally by encouraging more patients to complain directly to their practice with the help of an “approachable and welcoming culture in practices”.


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