General Dental Council: Report on dental professionals who died while fitness to practise concerns were investigated or remediated between 2019 and 2022

WARNING: This report includes sensitive data about dental professionals and reference to suicide.

General Dental Council: Report on dental professionals who died while fitness to practise concerns were investigated or remediated between 2019 and 2022

We are today publishing a report on the dental professionals who died while fitness to practise concerns were investigated or remediated between 2019 and 2022. The report seeks to build on our understanding of the number of dental professionals who died over the four-year reporting period and provide an indication of the causes of death.

Every death is a tragedy, and we offer our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of those who have passed away while facing an investigation or hearing. We have produced this report to begin to understand the prevalence of death and suicide while concerns are investigated or remediated, and the complexities of the issues involved.

We have taken time to work through these important and sensitive issues and ensure accuracy of the reported data. We are committed to learning and doing more to support dental professionals. We have delivered some improvements to our processes while the work was completed, and are committed to learning from any serious incidents and how we can make further improvements to our processes to reduce negative health and wellbeing impacts.

We want to be open and transparent on these very important issues, and recognise these is more for us to do to ensure dental professionals get the support they need when needed. The report includes some details of the work we are prioritising.

You will find the report on our website.

Reach out if you need support

If you are affected by the information reported or the issues set out in this report, Samaritans are available, day or night, 365 days a year. Whoever you are and whatever you’re facing, the Samaritans will not judge you or tell you what to do.

They are available to listen, so you don’t have to face it alone.

You can call the Samaritans free on 116 123 or email them at jo@samaritans.org