The General Dental Council (GDC) has revised its fitness to practise processes to improve timeliness in investigating clinical practise concerns.

The move follows the successful pilot of a revised process for handling fitness to practise concerns raised about dental professionals with no previous allegations of fitness to practise impairments in the previous 12 months.

Launched in September 2023, the main aim of the pilot was to reduce the time taken to investigate single-patient concerns about clinical practice. These were cases where the likelihood of closure at the assessment stage was high. The process change was designed to help ensure investigations were proportionate to the potential risks involved.

The regulator limited the information requested at the initial stages of an investigation to relevant clinical records only during the pilot. The pilot has demonstrated that the approach can significantly reduce the average time it takes to conclude an investigation.

Theresa Thorp, executive director of regulation at the GDC, said, “The success of the pilot has depended on the cooperation of dental professionals in promptly providing their relevant records, and we are grateful for the positive response from them and their representatives.

“While investigations into fitness to practise concerns are an important part of the regulatory system that maintains public safety and confidence, reducing the negative impacts of investigations is a priority for us. The pilot has shown the potential to streamline investigations for certain types of concerns while upholding the GDC's commitment to public protection.”

Feedback from caseworkers highlighted quicker responses from registrants to requests for information. Concluding cases took an average of 13 weeks during the pilot, more than half the 30-week key performance indicator for single clinical incident cases to reach the end of the assessment stage.

The pilot initially covered approximately 250 clinical concerns and achieved promising results. Of the completed cases, 84 per cent were closed at the assessment stage with no further action. Allegations were raised in only 16 per cent of cases and referred to case examiners for consideration.

Theresa said, “By taking a different approach with certain types of cases, we are working to reduce the negative health and wellbeing impacts of our investigations for all participants in regulatory proceedings. Ongoing research is helping us understand the difference these changes make, and we are committed to further improvements based on the insights gathered.”

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