General Dental Council publishes Annual Report and Accounts

We have today published our Annual Report and Accounts for 2022. 

2022 saw the launch of the Dental Professional Hearings Service in June. This further highlighted the independence of the hearings function from our investigation and prosecution remit. 

We were also busy throughout the year working to progress the legislative changes needed to remove unnecessary constraints on how the overseas registration examination (ORE) is run, and to provide greater flexibility in future. 

The new legislation took longer than we had been told it would and eventually became law in March this year. However, many of the changes will not come into effect or have any impact until after March 2024. This will have operational and contractual consequences for us as the existing arrangements remained in place for longer than it was expected.

Rising inflationary pressures have also added further challenges, creating additional uncertainly around our future income and expenditure. If high inflation is sustained, we may need to increase the level of the annual retention fee in 2024 and 2025 but any such increase will, at most, be in line with the rate of inflation at the time.

In their joint statement within the Annual Report and Accounts, the GDC’s Chair, Lord Toby Harris, and Chief Executive, Ian Brack, said: 

“Reform of legislation governing international routes to registration moved a step closer when the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published the outcome of the public consultation on its proposed changes to the legislation and started the parliamentary approval process.

“However, while removing the overly prescriptive constraints is a vital first step to creating a more effective registration system, the new powers come into effect 12 months after the legislation is laid and we will need time in 2023 and beyond to develop new approaches, carry out the required consultation on new rules and follow mandatory process to procure the supply of necessary services.”

You can view the highlights from the Annual Report and Accounts 2022, including the full message from the Chair and Chief Executive, or download the full report.