A view from the Chair: Council’s discussions in April; improvements to fitness to practise; a new framework for professionalism; coaching and mentoring

A programme of improvements to fitness to practise

Council had a full agenda at our meeting in April, which is excellent as it allowed us to consider and agree some very important decisions about things that matter to dental professionals, patients and the public.

The first of these is in relation to improving fitness to practise (FtP). We know that fitness to practise investigations can take too long and can feel overly complex often leading to feelings of mistrust, unfairness and more widely, a fear of the process and of the GDC. And as a result, it can negatively impact the mental health and wellbeing of those involved.

We are committed to improving how we do things but also how quickly we can resolve cases without compromising patient safety. Over the past few years, we have made some key changes to fitness to practise, and we are already working on delivering more. What Council have asked to see is this work brought together into a strong programme of end-to-end improvements to investigations, challenging ourselves on timeliness, risk appetite and process improvements such as options to close cases earlier through less adversarial methods. I am clear that simply going faster on processing FtP investigation is not the answer and I am very pleased that the whole organisation is in agreement too. The Council has asked the organisation to recommend the date by when the GDC will be compliant with its own FtP KPIs and can reasonably anticipate meeting the associated PSA standard. Council will then make a decision on the recommendation and commitment required to achieve it. Expect to hear more about this work in future.

This work will be central to what we are doing to support dental professionals to deliver safe and effective care, a commitment we made in our strategy.

A framework for professionalism

We also agreed a proposed new Framework for Professionalism that we will share for public consultation shortly. This new framework is the result of a programme of research and engagement over several years, exploring whether there are more effective ways of setting expectations for professional conduct and practice than the current model centred on Standards for the Dental Team. Listening, testing and gathering insight from dental professionals and stakeholders has been essential in helping to shape our thinking to this point.

This new framework is a key part of our new strategy and in particular our objective to support dental professionals. There was resounding support from both lay and registrant Council members for going out to consult to encourage feedback from as wide a range of views as possible. The outcome matters for every dental professional and has a direct impact on every patient. I would encourage you to keep an eye out for further details and opportunities to get involved.

Being a regulated organisation

I firmly believe that every regulator should have their own self-assessment against the standards against which they are assessed. I was therefore very pleased that Council had an opportunity to review our own assessment of where we are against the Professional Standard Authority’s (PSA’s) standards of good regulation.

We heard where we are against the current standards, and early thinking on the new PSA standards that will come into force for the next reporting period in 2027. It was an excellent discussion. But it is also important that we make up our own mind about the relevant benchmark for our performance as a regulator. This is not just about chasing standards – it is about satisfying ourselves that we are doing the right things, in the right way, to meet the expectations of patients and the public.

Welcoming Dental Mentors to Council

We invited Dental Mentors to present at our public Council meeting in April, which was very informative. Phil Gowers spoke passionately about the value of coaching and mentoring for dental professionals at any stage of their career but especially those facing a fitness to practise investigation. I was particularly struck by Phil’s description of the risk factors that might indicate that someone should seek support and mentoring, and the repeated and preventable factors that sometimes sit behind a concern being raised.

We know that fear of an investigation can in itself be a source of stress and risk. Addressing the climate of fear is one of the central foundations of the GDC’s strategy for 2026-2028. We want to regulate in a way which promotes learning over fear, promoting and encouraging good practice and continuous improvement to achieve positive patient outcomes. Learning more about the preventable factors that can lead to concerns being raised will be a valuable part of doing this.

Phil Gowers, Dental Mentors, summed up his reflections of sharing insights with Council:

“It was really good to see such thoughtful engagement from Council members on topics like access, EDI, cost, and the impact of coach mentoring on resilience and wellbeing. We explored the role of coach mentoring in supporting dental professionals – especially the recurring, and often preventable, factors behind fitness to practise cases. We’re looking forward to continuing the dialogue.’

We want to work closely with dental professionals and our partners to better understand where the current fitness to practise process has the most negative impact on the mental health and wellbeing of those involved and are working collaboratively to address this. If you or your organisation want to share your thoughts with Council on this important topic, we would welcome hearing from you at a future public meeting, and you can get in touch with me about that.