Latest updates from the GDC - April 2021

Long awaited regulatory reform underway 

The Department of Health and Social Care is seeking views on proposals to reform the regulation of healthcare professionals. The Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public consultation document sets out proposals for much needed reforms for the legislation under which we operate, and have been pressing government to take forward for some time.

You can find out more about the proposals and our initial views in Stefan Czerniawski’s blog post Regulatory reform: a once in a generation opportunity to influence the regulatory framework. We will be seeking the views of stakeholders over the coming months to help inform our response. The deadline for responses to the consultation is 16 June.  

Supporting the dental team – a guide for managers and employers 

This week we published a new online resource for managers and employers of dental professionals, and non-registrant members of the dental team, to support them in building and sustaining a well-trained, motivated and competent dental team to deliver high quality care to patients.  

We would like to thank all our stakeholders who helped us in developing the guide. We will be periodically reviewing and updating it and would like to hear from you on how useful you find this resource or how we can improve it. Please do get in touch if you have any feedback; you can email us at stakeholder@gdc-uk.org.

New pay by instalments option for Annual Renewal Fee 

We are introducing a new pay by instalment option if you pay your own Annual Renewal Fee. The new option will enable you to spread the cost of your fee over the year with quarterly Direct Debits of £28.50.  

To take advantage of this in 2021, you will need to log in to eGDC from early May and select the quarterly Direct Debit option no later than 31 May. We are working behind the scenes to get this set up, and we’ll be in touch again to let you know when eGDC is ready. 

Have you met all of the CPD requirements?   

One of the new rules introduced by the Enhanced CPD Scheme was the need to complete at least 10 hours of CPD over each consecutive two-year period. This is alongside the requirement to complete a set number of CPD hours over each five-year cycle, depending on your professional title. This helps to ensure your CPD is spread out across the five-year CPD cycle.  

Compliance with the 10 hours over two-years rule is the reason we ask you to make an annual CPD statements at annual renewal time. It works on a rolling basis e.g. if you did eight hours of CPD last year, you would need to do a minimum of two-years this year, and then the following year, you would need to do a further eight hours to ensure you have met the requirements.

This means that you also have the flexibility not to do any CPD in a single year, if you are in the first year of your first CPD cycle, or you did 10 hours of CPD in the previous year, but you would also mean that you would be required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of CPD the following year.  

The rule applies across CPD cycles too. If you’re starting a new CPD cycle, you need to count the hours in the last year of your previous cycle to ensure you meet the minimum of 10 hours over the two-year period. These are minimum requirements, so must be met even if you have been absent from work for a period of time e.g. on maternity leave. They also apply to those who would like to re-join the register following voluntary removal from the register.    

To check the number of CPD hours you need to do this year, log on to your eGDC account. You will find further guidance on the Enhanced CPD scheme on our website, where you will also find updated guidance for those of you who are concerned about compliance for reasons relating to COVID-19.

HEE National Dental Workforce Survey - career progression

Health Education England is carrying out an anonymous survey as part of the Advancing Dental Care review to understand the career progression of dentists in the UK, including any perceived factors you have encountered over your practising lifetime which may have influenced your career pathway over the years, (including any recent changes due to COVID-19), and any suggestions for improvements to career pathways in the future.

Your views will help them to shape and develop future training and career development opportunities for dentists within the UK.

You can find out more and share your views online.

Oral health and oral health service inequalities 

Public Health England has recently published its Inequalities in oral health in England report. This report found that despite good progress, oral health inequalities, across all age groups, continues to be a significant public health problem in England. The report also highlights clear evidence of links between deprivation and poor oral health, however there was little or no evidence for similar links from groups with protected characteristics.  

Human Tissue Authority – import and export licensing 

Important regulatory changes came into effect after EU exit for the import or export of human tissues and cells between Great Britain and the European Economic Area (including Northern Ireland).  

If you import or export human tissue or cells for human application (patient treatment) e.g. using bone, pericardium, and dermal tissue products in dentistry - from 1 July 2021 - you will require a licence from the Human Tissue Authority (HTA).  

The HTA is the regulator of human tissue, cells and organs in the UK. If you think you may be affected by these changes, please contact the HTA for advice. Further details on the requirements, including how to obtain a licence can be found on the HTA website or you can get in touch by email at enquires@hta.gov.uk.