A dental association this week told health secretary Wes Streeting that reform of the General Dental Council (GDC) is a crucial part of the NHS 10-Year Workforce Plan.
Neil Carmichael, the Association of Dental Groups’ (ADG) executive chair, participated in the 10 Year Workforce Plan session hosted on Wednesday by the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) for partners.
He spoke with health secretary Wes Steeting, suggesting that without reform of the GDC, ‘access to dentistry will continue to be a serious problem’.
‘I also mentioned to Wes Streeting that in July in a televised Health & Social Care Select Committee [meeting], Stephen Kinnock, minister of state for health and social care, announced that he had requested a plan from the GDC to sort out the overseas registration examination bottleneck by October. We are now in November – and it is late’
GDC plan needed for ‘clarity’
Neil Carmichael, executive chair of the ADG, said: ‘The gap in the dental workforce is huge. With over 2,700 dentist vacancies and gaps in the wider workforce, we are short of over 5,000 dental professionals across the NHS and Private sectors. Coupled with the fact that only 0.8% of dentists are actively looking for work, and just 1.5% of DCPs are seeking employment, we don’t have a UK workforce lining up to take these jobs on.
‘I was glad to have this opportunity today to work with stakeholders at the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan partners event, since it allowed the ADG to reiterate that for the 10-Year NHS Workforce Plan to succeed, agencies within the healthcare system must also play their part, with the General Dental Council (GDC) being a key example.
‘I mentioned to Wes Streeting that the GDC was last reformed in 1984, when Maggie was in power – and yet whilst dentistry has changed almost beyond recognition since then, the GDC has not. We have to prioritise modernisation of the GDC. It must do so, either by itself or it must be modernised through legislation. The ADG believes that the GDC could become a proactive and useful regulator of dentistry, but without reform access to dentistry by patients will continue to be a serious problem.
‘I also mentioned to Wes Streeting that in July in a televised Health & Social Care Select Committee, Stephen Kinnock, minister of state for health and social care, announced that he had requested a plan from the GDC to sort out the overseas registration examination (ORE) bottleneck by October. We are now in November – and it is late.
‘We know there are thousands of trained international dentists who are queuing up to take the exam which would immediately improve patient access. I want to reiterate that patients must be our focus. We must see the GDC’s plan which will hopefully give clarity to the sector and to the legions of patients waiting for access to a dentist.’
Unlocking the ORE
This comes as Dentistry runs a petition pushing for changes to the ORE booking system.
A significantly in-demand exam, the ORE booking system currently works in a way similar to securing concert tickets – whoever is fastest on the day. As a result, those who have previously tried and failed to book an exam place will have just as much of a chance as somebody who is attempting to book for the first time.
As a result, we believe that a quick, short-term solution to getting enthusiastic and talented overseas dentists into the UK dental system is for the General Dental Council (GDC) to introduce a priority booking system for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the exams.
You can sign the petition below:
Make the ORE booking system fairer for dentists
1750
Signatures (88%)
2000
Goal
Make the overseas registration exam (ORE) booking system fairer for dentists
We call on the General Dental Council (GDC) to reform the booking system for the overseas registration exam (ORE) to make it fairer and more supportive of internationally-trained dentists.
Currently, securing a place for ORE Part 1 and Part 2 is like getting festival tickets — the system favours ‘fastest-finger first’, with how long a dentist has been trying to book a place carrying no weight. Dentists must repeatedly refresh the webpage and compete in a stressful, luck-based race to book an exam. We feel this approach:
- Penalises perseverance: Those who have already invested time, money and effort in previous attempts are not given priority
- Causes unnecessary stress: Candidates face months or years of uncertainty while waiting for an exam slot
- Wastes talent: Skilled overseas dentists are unable to practise – even as the UK faces critical dental workforce shortages.
We propose a fairer system where priority is given to candidates who have previously attempted to book the ORE – allowing the process to be truly first come, first served.
Reforming the booking system is an effective short-term step that can be implemented quickly to relieve pressure on candidates and the dental workforce.
We acknowledge that broader, complementary action is also necessary, including the continued growth of available ORE places, and investment in UK dental schools and training capacities.
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