Following a detailed and thorough review, the General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) priorities have been approved by their council for the next three years in line with the Corporate Strategy 2023-2025. In doing so, this has set the budget and Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for 2024.

The ARF for 2024 will be £621 for dentists (a reduction of £69 or 10 per cent) and £96 for dental care professionals (a reduction of £18 or 15.8 per cent).

The council must review the financial position each year to ensure that there is the right balance of income and expenditure and will do so again in 2025. The council’s current intention is that the ARF in 2025 will be retained at the same level to provide certainty for registrants. But this decision must be made at the time of the review, taking into account the GDC’s priorities and external economic factors.

Toby Harris, GDC chair, said, “The council has set fees at a level that ensures we can continue to fulfil our statutory role of maintaining patient safety and public confidence for the next year. Although we will review the GDC’s plans again next year, we will go into this with an intention to maintain the ARF at the same level in 2025.”

The level of uncertainty around income and expenditure remains high due to ongoing volatility in the UK economy.

While the GDC is confident that the lower level of the ARF will provide the income required for 2024, it will be reviewed for 2025 by the council. In 2025, the council will consult on the Corporate Strategy for 2026-2028, which will then set the ARF for subsequent years.

Ian Brack, GDC chief executive and registrar, said, “The GDC faces continuing high inflation, financial uncertainty and external risk. We are engaged in a major review of how we take forward international registration in the light of our revised powers, and we are investing in additional capacity to help maintain or improve performance. Nevertheless, we have been able to produce a robust plan which delivers these activities and is also expected to provide a reduced ARF for registrants for the remainder of the 2023-2025 strategy period.”

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