Reduction Of Post-July DCP’s On The Register ‘Remains Stable’ Says The GDC – But It’s Not Good News For Practices Looking For Nurses
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- Published: Thursday, 18 August 2022 07:47
- Written by Chris Tapper
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The General Dental Council has said that the number of UK registered dental care professionals ‘remains stable’ following the July 31st renewal deadline.
On its website, the GDC said of its newly-released DCP registration figures “This year, 4,377 DCPs did not renew their registration, which is 6.3% of those of those who had paid their ARF by 31 July.”
“This compares to an average of 6.5% over the previous four years.”
But alarmingly, GDPUK has calculated that of the 4149 DCPs who did not renew their registrations in July, 89.5% of those DCPs were dental nurses.
The GDC’s own figures showed that in July, the number of registered dental nurses stood at 61,665.
After the DCP registration deadline, the number of nurses on the list had fallen to 57,950.
The loss of 3715 dental nurses to the register represented just over 6% of the dental nurse workforce.
The number of dental nurses lost to the register far outnumbered registrants belonging to the remaining DCP categories.
Dental technicians lost 4% of their total registrations, with 253 technicians not renewing.
The already small branch of these dental care professionals, now stands at 5126, from 5379 in July.
A total of 186 dental hygienists failed to renew their registration, losing 2% of its profession since July, where the total number of hygienists stood at 8574.
Dental therapists reduced their number by only 29, while clinical dental technicians lost only 6 registrants after 31st July.
The only title to remain stable, with no additions or removals, was orthodontic therapists. The number of orthodontic therapists on the register on 15th August stood at 869.
While the GDC seems confident that the loss of DCP’s after the July deadline remains stable, many may be alarmed that the majority of DCPs who have left the register are dental nurses.
There has been much talk on social media regarding the perceived availability of dental nurses and GDPUK has been told of a number of practices in the Midlands area who are struggling to find not only trained nurses, but suitable candidates for trainee posts.
In an article published in Dental Nursing in 2021, Lisa McCusker wrote in an article titled ‘The recruitment crisis’ that the shortage “Relates to the role itself and associated remuneration.”
“During the past 18 months especially, dental nurses have been exposed to high levels of physical contact and the associated infection risk, whilst having to follow strict practice policies.”
“Many dental nurses seem to be finding that it’s just not worth it anymore, knowing that they could get similar or higher wages in retail or hospitality with far less stress. As a result, some are sadly looking to move out of dentistry altogether.”
Already there are rumblings of job losses in retail and hospitality. Jobs are safe in dental surgeries, and whole pile of kids are just about to leave school
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