The FGDP(UK) has expressed its disappointment at the GDC’s decision to keep the ARF at the same level.
The General Dental Council (GDC) announced that it would maintain the record-high levels of annual retention fee (ARF) for dentists (£890) and dental care professionals (£116) into 2016.
This came after the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP(UK)) responded to the GDC’s consultation on the ARF claiming it couldn’t support the ‘extraordinarily high’ ARF into next year and explaining that it rejected the GDC’s plans to use the ARF to build up its financial reserves.
‘The FGDP and other representative bodies were clear and unanimous in their rejection of retaining 2015’s ARF into 2016, and we are disappointed that the GDC appears still not to be listening to the concerns of dentists and dental care professionals,’ FGDP(UK) dean, Mick Horton, said.
‘Dentists provide safe, good quality care and present a low risk to patients, but unfortunately have a poorly-performing regulator, which appears to be focussed unnecessarily on growing its reserves, rather than giving its fitness to practise processes the radical overhaul they need.
‘The GDC has a specific remit as a regulator, and by acting outside this remit it is attempting to justify its unnecessarily high fees.
‘Having to pay fees double those of doctors, three times those of opticians and pharmacists and seven times those of nurses will do nothing to improve the profession’s confidence in the GDC, and the FGDP is concerned that in the end it may be patients who suffer as a result of the GDC’s actions.’
