Case examiners

Case examiners make decisions following investigations into concerns raised regarding registrants' fitness to practise.

They review information which may affect patient safety or public confidence in the professions we regulate and make decisions about registered dental professionals' fitness to practise.

A clinical and a lay case examiner consider cases when our casework team has gathered all the relevant evidence and information, including comments by the dental professional involved.

Case examiners decide if there is a real prospect of:

• the allegations being proved
• statutory grounds being established
• a finding that fitness to practise is currently impaired.

Case examiners can decide to:

• adjourn the case for further information
• close the case and take no further action
• issue a letter of advice
• issue a warning
• issue a warning and direct that the warning should be published to the dental professional's entry on the Register
• ask the registrant to agree a series of undertakings
• refer the case to one of the three practice committees for a full inquiry.

Referrals for a full inquiry are made to one of three practice committees at the Dental Professionals Hearings Service. Where case examiners decide that there may be serious or immediate risks to public safety or confidence, they will refer to the Interim Orders Committee to decide if any action is needed to protect the public while an investigation takes place.

The processes and procedures that case examiners follow are set out in the Case examiners guidance manual and the Case examiners indicative outcomes guidance.

Supplementary advice for COVID-19

Supplementary advice was issued to case examiners in January 2021 about the factors to consider when assessing the impact of COVID-19 on a dental professional’s ability to deliver care.

This advice continues to apply in relevant cases.

List of case examiners

We have eight clinical and four lay case examiners.