Latest updates from the GDC - June 2021
Annual Renewal for DCPs opens 7 June
Thank you for your continued efforts to ensure that dental services remain safe and open for patients in need of treatment and care in these challenging times for all of us.
We now need to ask you to take some steps to renew your registration. This year, Annual Renewal will open on 7 June, and to complete you will need to:
- pay the Annual Retention Fee (ARF)
- make a CPD statement
- declare that indemnity is, or will be, in place.
We recognise that access to CPD continues to be affected by the pandemic. If you have a shortfall in your CPD hours for reasons relating to COVID-19, please do all that you can to be compliant by the 31 July deadline. This is because of the important role CPD plays in patient safety and maintaining public confidence in the dental professions.
If you do not manage to meet the requirements this year for reasons relating to COVID-19, you will still need to make your annual or end of cycle CPD statement in the normal way. We will be flexible and take your circumstances into account.
When you renew, please also take a moment to review and update the equality and diversity monitoring form when you log on to eGDC. By recording this information you’re helping to make sure that we can accurately assess the work that we do, ensuring we are being fair, inclusive and accessible to all.
Further information and FAQs on Annual Renewal can be found on our website. And our Customer Services team is available to answer questions specific to your circumstances on 020 7167 6000 or you can get in touch via the website.
Finally, you will find the latest guidance for dental professionals on changes resulting from COVID-19 on our website.
Deadline approaching on proposals for regulatory reform
Just a quick reminder that the Department of Health and Social Care is currently consulting on proposals to reform the legislation under which we operate. The deadline for responses is 12.15am on 16 June.
You can find out more about the proposals on our website, or look to our recent blog posts, where the reform proposals are explored in a little more detail. We will be publishing our response to the consultation on our consultation responses page as soon as it has been finalised.
Direct-to-consumer orthodontics: statement for you and your patients
In May we published an updated statement in relation to direct-to-consumer orthodontics, alongside supporting information for both you and members of the public. The information for professionals provides some detail about how regulation in this area works, and we recommend that you give this a read.
There are also important messages for the public about this type of treatment. We know that the dental team are best placed to share these messages with patients and to highlight the things they need to consider before deciding on whether remote treatment is right and safe for them. To help with this, we have created a social media toolkit - providing images and suggested posts.
You can find the toolkit at gdc-uk.org/alignerstoolkit
GDC Costed Corporate Plan published
We recently published our Costed Corporate Plan for 2021-2023, which is produced annually and details our programme of work for the next three years.
This year’s plan has a number of key updates, including a review of what we delivered in 2020 and the additional work undertaken in response to the pandemic, as well as details of our work programme for 2021 -2023. Our expenditure forecast, broken down by strategic aim, and our income projections for the next three years are also included.
We hope that this plan helps to explain what we are working on and further progresses our aim of being a transparent and cost effective regulator, with an increased focus on prevention.
More information can be found on our corporate strategy and business plan page.
New guidance for better mental health in dentistry
New practical guidance is now available for those who want to do more to promote good mental health and wellbeing in their dental team. The Mental Health Wellness in Dentistry Framework, conceived by the Dental Professional Alliance, provides helpful advice and guidance in support of prevention, early intervention and signposting for those experiencing difficulties.
The new framework was launched during mental health awareness week, when we also took the opportunity to reflect on the toll the past year has had on our mental health and what we can do to reduce mental health stressors.
DCS review 2020: private dentistry patients
The Dental Complaints Service (DCS) has published the results of its 2020 review.
The collapse of a single dental corporate body resulted in 157 complaints to the DCS in 2020, representing 26% of the total number of complaints received. Also reported was a notable rise in complaints about removable orthodontic appliances last year and, of course, issues relating to COVID-19. The performance of the DCS remains strong with 98% of new enquiries responded to within set performance timeframes.
The full report can be accessed by visiting the DCS website.
COVID-19 and quality assuring dental education
The GDC’s quality assurance process which ensures that the summer 2021 graduating cohort of BDS and hygiene and therapy students meet the required learning outcomes and, are of safe beginner standard, continues. To date, 13 submissions have been received, 10 of which have been analysed. Of these, nine provided sufficient evidence to give us the assurance we require. However, one education provider submission raised some significant concerns - which has led to a six-month programme extension - we continue to monitor this closely.
We have also started surveying the remaining dental care professional education providers, so we are assured of their continued compliance with our standards.
Finally, the joint statement on dental education and training was recently reviewed, updated, and published on our website.
Healthwatch webinar 7 June
Healthwatch England and Traverse are hosting an online webinar on Monday 7 June for those who want to understand the factors that might be behind lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake rates among people from African, Bangladeshi, Caribbean and Pakistani backgrounds.
You can find about more about the event from the Healthwatch website.
Human Tissue Authority (HTA): import or export of human tissues and cells
Important regulatory changes have been made that affect the import and/or export of human tissues and cells between Great Britain (GB) and the European Economic Area (EEA) for the dental sector. These changes may affect dental practices who use human bone, pericardium and dermal tissue in dentistry or dental surgery, that previously did not require a HTA licence.
If you import or export human tissues and cells between GB and a country in the EEA for human application (patient treatment), you may need a HTA licence by 1 July 2021.
The regulatory changes do not apply to organisations in England, Scotland and Wales ordering human tissues and cells from suppliers in the UK already licensed by the HTA.
You are advised to submit applications now to avoid disruptions to supply and ensure licences can be in place from 1 July onwards. The HTA has published a short survey to determine whether your activities are impacted, which should take no longer than three minutes to complete.
Please visit the HTA’s website for further information.