The GDC has announced its strategy for the next three years in Right time. Right place. Right-touch.
The dental regulator consulted on its plans earlier this year, receiving only 79 responses.
Following this the General Dental Council (GDC) has developed Right time. Right place. Right-touch and set its fees for the next three years.
‘The programme of work within Right time. Right place. Right-touch shows how the GDC intends to continue to improve its approach to achieving its statutory responsibilities of protecting the public and maintaining public confidence in dental services,’ GDC chair, William Moyes, said.
‘Key to this is ensuring that complaints are dealt with in the right place, which is often in the surgery.
‘Over the last few years the GDC has had increasing success cooperating with stakeholders to achieve its aims.
‘This strategy shows how we plan to further develop our approach over the next three years.’
Right time. Right place. Right-touch.
The GDC has broken its future strategy for the next three years down into five strategic aims.
These include:
- Operate a regulatory system, which protects patients and is fair to registrants, while being cost-effective and proportionate; which begins with education, supports career-long learning, promotes high standards of care and professional conduct and is developed in the light of emerging evidence and experience
- Work with the professions and our partners to ensure that patients and the public are able to raise concerns with the agency best placed to resolve them effectively
- Use evidence, research and evaluation to develop, deliver and embed a cost-effective and right-touch model for enforcement action
- Maintain and develop the regulatory framework
- Continue to develop an outcome-focused, high-performing and sustainable organisation.
‘We do not underestimate the challenges associated with delivering this strategy,’ Mr Moyes says in his foreword to the strategy.
‘And in doing so with smaller annual budgets than those seen at the GDC in recent years.
‘In fact, we welcome that challenge, and look forward to working with our partners to achieve the objectives we have set.’
Breakdown of costs
The dental regulator has also detailed its costs for the next three years, showing where it will spend and where it will cut costs.
The ARF will therefore stay the same over the next three years assuming ‘registrant numbers will remain as they were in 2018’.
Expenditure plans include:
| Strategic aim | 2019 cost (one year, £ million) | 2020-2022 annual cost (average/year, £ million) | 2020-2022 total cost (three year, £ million) |
|
1. To operate a regulatory system which protects patients and is fair to registrants, while being cost-effective and proportionate; which begins with education, supports career-long learning, promotes high standards of care and professional conduct and is developed in the light of emerging evidence and experience. |
£9.6 | £10.0 | £30.0 |
|
2. To work with the professions and our partners to ensure that patients and the public are able to raise concerns with the agency best placed to resolve them effectively and without unnecessary delay |
£1.7 | £2.7 | £8.0 |
|
3. To use evidence, research and evaluation to develop, deliver and embed a cost-effective and right-touch model for enforcement action |
£27.0 | £23.4 | £70.1 |
|
4. To maintain and develop the regulatory framework |
£1.4 | £2.1 | £6.2 |
|
5. To continue to develop an outcome-focused, high-performing and sustainable organisation. |
£3.5 | £2.4 | £7.3 |
| Totals | £43.2 | £40.5 | £121.6 |
* Figures rounded to the nearest £100,000.
