Having fewer dental professionals fear the General Dental Council (GDC) is just one of the aims set by the regulator in its new strategy.
The General Dental Council (GDC) this week published its new strategy 2026-2028, committing to ‘significant change and improvement over the next three years – and towards 2030’.
It states: ‘Our legislation is outdated and an impediment to effective regulation in several areas. For years, we have been strongly advocating for regulatory
reform, and we will continue to do so.
However, we understand that wholesale legislative change in the next three years is unlikely, so our immediate focus will be on securing incremental change to our legislation where possible and continuing to improve and challenge existing processes and approaches within the constraints of the current legislation.’
As part of its plan, it acknowledges a number of challenges, including the overseas registration exam (ORE). It states whilst maintaining high standards are crucial, ‘processes should not be an unnecessary or disproportionate barrier to entry to the UK workforce’.
Additionally, it highlights the adverse impact of fitness to practise (FtP) on the health, wellbeing and confidence of dental professionals. It talks about a ‘climate of fear’ that has emerged in recent years, particularly in regards to FtP processes.
Promoting learning, not fear
The report set out five strategic objectives:
- Support denta professionals to provide safe and effective care for their patients
- Maintain high standards for registration and register those who meet them in a timely and effective way
- Improve fitness to practise, maximising patient safety and reducing unintended impacts
- Work collaboratively to speak up on, influence and address issues that affect patients and the public
- Maximise the effectiveness of our people, our culture, and our systems.
Its aims by 2030 include to be trusted by the public, dental profession and partners, and ‘to do the right thing’ with fewer dental professionals fearing the regulator.
As part of its work to improve FtP, the regulator states it will explore greater use of less adversarial approaches to closure of cases (such as
remediation), to decrease punitive effects and maximise the learning potential of FtP. It adds that it will also actively explore and test the
boundaries of its legal framework.
Tom Whiting, chief executive and registrar at the GDC, said: ‘We want to regulate in a way that promotes learning over fear – supporting the dental team to demonstrate professionalism. We want to provide regulation that fits the times we’re in, anticipates future changes, and tackles shared challenges.
‘We want people to feel that we are easy to deal with, approachable and ready to listen and support. We will be transparent about our progress and performance, reporting regularly and keeping an open dialogue about what we are doing to build trust and effectiveness.’
You can read the full strategy report here.
Follow Dentistry.co.uk on Instagram to keep up with all the latest dental news and trends.
