7 May 2010

General Dental Council announces interim Chief Executive and Registrar

Ian Todd is to take over as Interim Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Dental Council (GDC) as Alison White concludes her time in the role.

Ian will hold the post until the arrival of Evlynne Gilvarry later this year, who was recently announced as the permanent appointment.

Alison Lockyer, Chair of the General Dental Council said:

“I am pleased to welcome Ian to the interim role. He brings a wealth of experience in fitness to practice, a key focus for improvement at the GDC, and I’m looking forward to working with him during the remainder of the interim period.”

Ian joins the GDC from the Nursing and Midwifery Council where he was Director of Fitness to Practise. Prior to entering the world of regulation Ian spent 13 years in the NHS ambulance service in both clinical and management roles, including at director level. He was a paramedic registrant of the Health Professions’ Council until 2008.

Ian said:

“I know that the GDC has seen a 40% year-on-year rise in fitness to practise complaints and has committed extra resources to dealing with this. My primary challenge will be to begin to implement the agreed changes in order to take steps forward on the improvement journey. I’ll then hand the progress over to Evlynne Gilvarry when she arrives.”

Of the departing Interim Chief Executive and Registrar, Alison White, Alison Lockyer said:

”Alison has led the organisation through a complex and difficult re-budgeting process, and built the framework which will underpin future planned improvements in our regulatory processes. I would like to thank her very much for her commitment and hard work.”

Ends

For media enquiries, please contact Moira Alderson on 020 7009 2756 or malderson@gdc-uk.org