Dental defence body calls on government to make urgent legal reform
A dental defence body is calling upon the health minister to make urgent legal reform which would allow the General Dental Council (GDC) to make essential changes to the current outdated Fitness to Practise (FTP) Procedures.
The Dental Defence Union (DDU), one of the UKs leading indemnifiers of dentists, says that the current system is not fair on patients or dental professionals and must be urgently reformed.
Dr Rupert Hoppenbrouwers, head of the DDU says:
“The current FTP procedures faced by dental professionals are not fit for purpose - they are outdated, slow and cumbersome. Often there are long delays in investigations meaning it can be in excess of a year for FTP procedures to come to a conclusion. This doesn’t benefit anyone.
“The GDC would like to make changes to the FTP procedures to improve things significantly but to do so, the government must first make legal changes. The proposed reforms were contained in a draft regulation that should have been laid before the last parliament but unfortunately time ran out.
“With the new government now elected and parliament in session, we are urging the health minister to make these reforms an urgent priority for the benefit of patients and dental professionals.
The DDU has distributed postcards among the dental community which enthusiastic dental professionals have been signing at dental events around the UK. The postcards are sent to the individual’s Member of Parliament asking them to raise the issue with the health minister. The DDU is urging any member who has not yet signed a postcard to download one from the DDU website and send it to their MP.
“The postcards have been received really well, with all dental professionals we have spoken to having been very enthusiastic about the campaign. Well over 100 MPs and representatives in other UK jurisdictions should now have received a postcard from a dentist or dental professional constituent. We hope MPs are now going to raise the issue with the Minister and in parliament. But it is important to reach as many MPs as possible and weurge dentists and dental professionals to support our campaign and to visit our website, download a postcard and send it to their MP.”
