HEE Withdraws Support For Registrants In England
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- Published: Monday, 27 September 2021 10:02
- Written by Chris Tapper
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The General Dental Council has been forced to make changes to the way it supports dental professionals in England.
Currently, dental professionals whose fitness to practice has been found to be impaired and as a result has either had conditions placed on their practise, or has agreed to undertakings, is referred for help, by the GDC.
The GDC also places sanctions on practitioners when a registrant is deemed to pose an immediate risk.
Announcing the change to the GDC’s process, Head of Case Progression John Cullinane said on the regulator’s website “Sanctions, such as undertakings agreed with case examiners, or conditions imposed by practice committees, are part of the regulatory system we operate and are used to ensure the public are protected while providing professionals with an opportunity to further develop their skills, knowledge and practice.”
“Conditions imposed on practice or undertaking agreements are applied in cases where there are public protection concerns, or where public confidence in the profession has been undermined.”
“They normally include remediation or development requirements to be completed within a set timeframe,” Mr Cullinane wrote.
England dental professionals with imposed conditions or who have agreed to undertakings are presently referred by the regulator to one of the Health Education England (HEE) deaneries.
The registrant is then allocated an advisor who will support them with their additional development needs.
The GDC says it refers around four dental professionals a month to HEE.
The cost of development support from HEE is around £850, which is borne by the registrant involved, and includes an assessment and planning meeting plus four additional meetings.
Mr Cullinane announced the cessation of the current referral process on the GDC website.
He wrote “HEE has written to inform us that it will not be taking new referrals for support to dental professionals from 30 September, as a result of a recent review of postgraduate services.”
“We’re now putting in place new development support pathway for dental professionals in England, which will take effect from 1 October 2021.”
The GDC said “Existing arrangements will continue in all other parts of the UK.”
Such registrants will now have to search for their own development advisors. The GDC will have to give final approval to the selection and will set ‘minimum requirements.’
Registrants “Will be asked to work with their development adviser on a Personal Professional Development Plan, which will be reviewed and reported on regularly.”
Individuals will still continue to fund the support themselves, although the fees charge will be left to be agreed between the registrant and the advisor.
The GDC said “We have worked with stakeholders, including professional representative bodies and defence organisations, on revising and updating the supporting documentation for dental professionals and advisers to ensure the process is clear and understood by all.”
“We have also been working with others to identify avenues for support.”
The GDC says it is essential that development advisors are registered with the GDC and are compliant with CPD requirements.
Among ‘desirable’ skills possessed by advisors are postgraduate qualifications in medical education and knowledge of current standards and guidelines in dentistry.
The GDC says it will be keeping the new process under review for the next six months and has asked stakeholders and dental professionals to raise any issues associated with the new scheme as soon as they arise.
“Our aim is to give flexibility and the appropriate support to ensure that professionals are able to return to practise as soon as they can, having completed their development requirements.”
A spokesperson for HEE said "In 2018, HEE’s Memorandum of Understanding with the GDC was due for renewal, so we undertook a review of our role and responsibilities in postgraduate dental education. This review reaffirmed that, under The Care Act 2014, HEE does not have a statutory responsibility to provide support to dental registrants involved in fitness to practice proceedings."
"We formally communicated this to the GDC in August 2020 and they have since been working with stakeholders to support the effective transition to new arrangements by October 2021."
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