Advice centre

The proposed increase in the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) would see the cost for dentists rising from £576 to £945; the GDC is currently consulting on its proposal.

It has been five years since Dental Protection moved into its Edinburgh home, to support members working in Scotland, and it’s been an exciting and busy period. In that short period of time the number of dental members has doubled and staff numbers have increased to ensure that we continue to provide exceptional service.

DPL has, since the 2005 Amendment to the Dentists Act 1984 was introduced, been concerned that IC has not been fit for purpose and has produced a steady stream of inconsistent decisions. It has appeared to us that the members of the IC have not understood their role and the standards that they are legally required to apply. Therefore we welcome this latest attempt by GDC to introduce guidance to IC. Specifically we welcome the learning from previous cases although we would commend the use of consistent thought processes in considering cases, rather than a recipe book approach to decision making.

We believe that we are uniquely placed to appreciate the role that CPD can play in the areas of professional performance, patient safety and the quality of patient care. Our unwavering commitment to CPD is evidenced by the fact that we, and the MPS group of which we are a part, invest substantial resources into providing risk management and educational resources for our members around the world. In 2012 alone this included over 600 educational presentations.