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Published: Monday, 29 October 2012 14:21

Written by Tony Jacobs

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Now that Professor Kevin O'Brien has completed a year in the Chair of the General Dental Council, he responded to an earlier request for an exclusive interview with GDPUK and its' membership. GDPUK members formed questions for the interview over the summer on the site's forum, and then these were supplemented by a face to face interview with Tony Jacobs near Kevin's home in Manchester.

At our meeting I was able to learn more about the man behind the title, and hear more about his early career in general dental practice in Manchester in the early 1980s. It turned out we knew many of the same colleagues, and over the years, must have been to the same BDA and other postgraduate meetings in Manchester.

I asked some further questions which are more topical, and started with the topic of the change in EU law relating to whitening of teeth, covered in detail on the GDPUK forum. Kevin will be speaking shortly to the All Party Parliamentary Group and he had spent the afternoon reading in detail about the subject. He made it absolutely clear that the GDC states that whitening of teeth is the practice of dentistry, and the public is protected by this distinction.

When we discussed the changes in tooth whitening regulations that are due to come into force on 31st October he pointed out that the GDC will not enforce the law around the directive as this is the role of Trading Standards Service. However, if the GDC receives a complaint about the strength of a bleaching agent used in tooth whitening, the complaint will be assessed on an individual basis and the registrant could face Fitness to Practise proceedings.

We also discussed a question that was not asked by GDPUK colleagues and this was concerned with the full addresses of registrants being published on the web by the GDC. I pointed out that the GMC do not do this, yet dental registrants feel forced to keep their registered address as their practice address due solely to this policy of the GDC, which may not always be convenient, yet using their home address may affect their actual personal security as well as their feelings about their safety.

He said registrants addresses used to be published in the printed form of the register, which were publicly available. In September 2006, the Council agree the printed version should be stopped and that the online register would contain an address. It should be noted that the GDC does not require a home address and is planning a review of this policy.

A few other topics relating to registration were next to be aired. When retiring, some dentists have complained they get no recognition of their years of service. He told me that he has been asked this several times and let me know that if a registrant informs the GDC that they are retiring they receive a letter acknowledging their retirement. This has been analysed, and is because they retire and simply do not renew their registration. So the message is don't just let it lapse.

This led me to ask about retired dentists and their position regarding registration. I pointed out that some retired dentists would like to remain on the register. He explained that this was not possible as the GDC is a regulator and the register is intended for the protection of the public. As a result, if a registrant has stopped practicing there is no provision or need for them to remain on the register.

Another specific group who have issues are dental nurses, who feel their annual fee should be less than that for hygienists and therapists, who have a greater earning potential. Kevin told me that the policy concerned with this issue is currently under review and will be discussed at the next Council meeting.

We then discussed other topics relating to the GDC. One of these was the CHRE enquiry into the allegations made against the GDC by the former Chair, Alison Lockyer. He told me that when the report is published he will carefully consider all the recommendations and take any necessary actions.

He also explained that he feels that there are going to be many changes to regulation over the next few years and he outlined the importance of the Law Commission recommendations on the future of regulation to the Government. He felt that one advantage of the potential changes is that this may enable regulators to make their own rules and become more agile. Currently, making changes is slow and frequently mean that the GDC has to seek changes in government legislation.

Finally, I asked him about whether he reads the GDPUK forum. He told me he had not been too aware of the site, but on the day of his election to the Chair, I had been able to publish the news in the site less than 10 minutes after the event. A colleague at the Council showed his mobile - there was the news on GDPUK. Kevin finds this site to be a useful barometer of the dental world, he views this and many other sites almost daily. He feels strongly that the Chair of the GDC must be informed and must listen to the profession and public. If the chair doesn't listen, they are not being as effective as they should be. Reading GDPUK is part of that listening.

Kevin also reaches out widely using Twitter, and invites dental colleagues to follow him @OBrienK57 .
 

I qualified from Manchester in 1979, and went straight into General Dental Practice in Middleton, North Manchester with a great principal Allan Kirsh. I learnt a lot from him. After two years, I then moved to a practice in South Manchester where I worked for another two years. At that point I decided that I wanted to be an orthodontist and took up a position as a House Officer at Manchester, then SHO and Registrar posts at Newcastle. I then got on the Manchester orthodontic programme, which was two years without pay! I had a young family at that point and I worked part-time in several practices (one for Lester Ellman) in the evenings and weekends.
While on the ortho programme I became interested in research and got a research fellowship from the Medical Research Council. We then went to the USA for a year and returned to Manchester where I was made Professor of Orthodontics in 1996. I was then made Dean of the School (2004) and then Associate Dean of the Faculty (with responsibility for Education of all healthcare professionals at Manchester).
I first got involved with the GDC when I was made chair of the Specialist Dental Education Board, then I was appointed to Council and elected Chair in 2011. I will be the last elected Chair of the GDC.

This is a question that I am commonly asked. The Chair of the Council should be appointed against a person specification that ensures that they can satisfy the demands of the job. As regulation has evolved over the last few years, these requirements have become more exacting. As a result, the Chair should have experience of public roles, have proven leadership experience of complex organisations, be a good public speaker, have the ability to process large amounts of information and understand financial management of large organisations.
Furthermore, the Chair and Council act as Governance body to the work of the GDC executive (staff). It is, therefore, possible for a lay person or a registrant to be appointed to the Chair providing they satisfy the criteria for the post. It is not essential for this person to be a dentist or have experience of general dental practice.

Jim Page 12 years

See no evil, hear no evil

From GDC website: -

"Protecting patients

Our key purpose is to ensure patients are protected."

From the interview : -

" . . . - This is not our role. The GDC has a very clear role and that is to regulate individual dentists and dental care professionals." and " . . . - it does not have a view on Government policies about access to healthcare or contracts."

This confirms that the GDC is an agency of Government not an independent body.

If it were an independent body it would be prepared to hold the Department of Health to account for the 'Big Lie' Patients are not being protected either by the profession or the DoH or the GDC :roll:

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