GDC welcomes new ministerial team and calls for new government to be a watershed moment for professional regulation
The General Dental Council (GDC) has welcomed the reappointment of Jeremy Hunt as Secretary of State for Health, but has made it clear action is needed now in order to improve the effectiveness of professional regulation.
The Law Commission has done a significant amount of work developing a new legislative blueprint that will allow regulators to be more proportionate and responsive to patients’ needs. Priority must now be given to pressing ahead with legislation to give effect to this work. The legislation the GDC is required to operate is thirty years old and means that, in combination with weak arrangements for local resolution, many complaints find their way into its Fitness to Practise processes which could be better dealt with elsewhere.
Effective and proportionate regulation demands a system that deals quickly and well with the many complaints that although not trivial, do not need to be submitted to complex fitness to practise processes that are adversarial in nature. Such a system would make the process less stressful for patients and dental professionals alike.
Designing a system that is fit for purpose for the 21st century requires the input of all stakeholders. The GDC hopes that Mr Hunt and his team will encourage patient groups, the dental faculties, trade unions and other representative bodies to get round the table to develop a solution that works for patients and the dental team.
Representative bodies and trade unions have a role to play to ensure that all professionals are striving to reach the high standards expected by the public. This collaboration will help to drive down the overall number of complaints.
The GDC’s vision is clear. At the heart of any professional regulation must be the patient.
This should be a watershed moment after which there is a fundamental redesign of the regulatory framework to ensure that patient confidence remains high.
GDC Chair William Moyes and Chief Executive Evlynne Gilvarry, said:
"We extend our congratulations to Jeremy Hunt on his reappointment as Secretary of State for Health and to the full ministerial team at the Department, including David Prior as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Ben Gummer as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health. We have reached a crucial point in the debate on the future of professional regulation and action is now required."
