​The General Dental Council (GDC) has today published Shaping the direction of lifelong learning for dental professionals, which invites ideas, comments and views on the short and long-term future of professional learning and development in dentistry.

The publication represents the next step on the journey towards achieving a more effective system of CPD, which began with commitments made in the regulator’s 2017 publication Shifting the balance and the introduction of the Enhanced CPD scheme in 2018. Since then, this journey has continued with the gathering of further information and evidence through stakeholder feedback, a systematic literature review on CPD and, most recently, through workshops with professional associations, educators and other regulators which took place earlier this year.

After building a robust base of evidence, the GDC says it ‘now wishes to explore ideas for developing the CPD scheme with dental professionals and stakeholders’ and that it is ‘opening a conversation about what meaningful CPD is, how it can be achieved, and what the obstacles might be that prevent dental professionals from accessing and undertaking it.’

GDC Head of GDC Policy and Research, Rebecca Cooper, said: “While Enhanced CPD made some good progress towards increasing professional ownership of CPD and placing greater emphasis on reflection and planning, we know a more supportive model of learning can be achieved to provide dental professionals with the information and tools they need to meet and maintain high professional standards and quality patient care.

“Some dental professionals feel that CPD is little more than a tick box exercise. Our proposals look at how we might move to a system that is flexible and responsive for the full range of dental professionals and where professionals can increasingly take responsibility for their own development, without the need for heavy-handed enforcement.

“This discussion document represents a significant milestone in achieving this goal and we really want to hear from as many people as possible about where lifelong learning should go from here.”

The discussion document is presented in three parts:

  • Part 1: A future model for lifelong learning - considers the future direction of travel for lifelong learning. It invites comments on a portfolio model and the merits of continuing with set CPD hour requirements.
  • Part 2: CPD practices – looks at CPD practices and how professionals can be encouraged to take up more high-value activities, such as peer learning and reflection.
  • Part 3: Informing CPD choices – asks about the insights and intelligence dental professionals refer to when selecting learning activities and how these can be improved and promoted.

Responses and views can be submitted online.

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