View from the Chair: my commitment to you, observations so far, and looking ahead to important decisions and meeting stakeholders

My commitment to you

Today is my first day in my new role and I am so pleased to have joined the GDC as Chair. I have huge respect for those who work in healthcare and my role as Chair of NHS Professionals has helped me to build a deep understanding of the value of a skilled, experienced and available workforce. Dental professionals provide vital healthcare for millions of people in the UK, through prevention, education and treatment. This is what makes a difference to patients and the public and I join the GDC already in admiration of what the dental team provides.

I am also acutely aware that the system of oral healthcare is not without its challenges. I commit to working collaboratively with dental professionals and stakeholder organisations in the sector. My aim is that dental professionals feel a sense of pride – never fear – in being regulated by a trusted, effective, proportionate regulator and that, together, we can make a meaningful difference to address healthcare inequalities.

My observations so far

I was able to meet other Council members and the GDC’s Executive Leadership Team in the last few months, and to join them last week for a half-day focused on how we work and develop as a Board. This was an invaluable opportunity to learn more about what we each bring to dental regulation and our commitment to making a positive difference. I also learned more about the GDC’s priorities and our relationships with the current and future dental team.

I also observed September’s Council meetings as a member of the public. This is a good opportunity to listen to Council’s discussion, and I recommend it if you would like to see how decisions are made and hear more about our performance and priorities. You can request to observe the public meeting either in person or online here.

September’s public Council meeting saw a review of the organisation performance report, which gives a wide-ranging and detailed overview of our core functions and projects. Some highlights that I picked up are that we receive around 875 applications each month from dental care professionals who want to join the register. Up to the end of August this year, 399 dentists had joined the register after passing the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), which is more than one third of the annual output from UK dental schools and already 45 more than in the whole of last year. The revised Standards for Education were published last week, an essential tool for the education providers who we quality assure each year.

The CEO, Tom Whiting, gave a comprehensive overview of activities supporting our people and culture, external engagement and collaboration and our plans to modernise and improve how we use digital and IT. I heard about external engagement with Health Ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Dental Council of New Zealand and Australian Dental Council, and the CEO’s visits to dental settings. All of these provide valuable insight and the opportunity for the GDC to listen and learn more about how and where dental professionals work.

Looking ahead

In their closed meeting, Council discussed the initial feedback on the Corporate Strategy consultation and how this is shaping into decisions about priorities and funding that Council will make in October. These decisions, in turn, set the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) and we will let you know about Council’s decision in October.

October’s Council meeting sees three new members, including myself, which means that 25% of the Council has changed within one month. There are also changes to two Committee Chairs, with Mike Driver appointed as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and Angie Heilman MBE appointed as Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee. You can read more about the changes to Council here.

Looking ahead to my priorities, I’m excited to start meeting stakeholders. Later this week I meet the Society of British Dental Nurses and the British Society of Dental Hygienists and Therapists to discuss how dental nurses, hygienists and therapists are utilised in the dental team.

Later in October, I meet the Dental Schools Council and hope to hear more about their priorities for dental education and have discussions with the Chief Dental Officers that will focus on shared priorities for dental regulation across the four nations. In November, I meet the BDA, who will no doubt highlight the challenges faced by patients in accessing NHS dental care, and I look forward to meeting our regulator, the Professional Standards Authority, to discuss our performance.