GDC confirms controversial ARF increase will go ahead

The General Dental Council (GDC) has confirmed that its controversial planned annual retention fee increase will go ahead.

Representing the first rise in four years, the ARF for dentists is to increase by 55 percent to 890 pounds, with the fee for dental care professionals falling to 116 pounds. It justified the hike by citing the significant increase in its fitness to practise caseload over the last three years.

The regulator conducted a nine-week consultation on the issue that received more than 4,000 responses, with 97 percent of professionals opposing the move. The size of the increase has been reduced from the original plan of a 64 percent hike.

GDC chair Bill Moyes said: "The decision taken today is directly related to the effective delivery of our primary duty of patient protection."

The British Dental Association (BDA), which has opposed the GDC's stance throughout the process, has announced that it will be moving ahead with judicial review proceedings against the regulator, as it believes the fee increase is unjustifiable and that the consultation was flawed.

Mick Armstrong, chair of the BDA's principal executive committee, said the GDC "will finally have to defend its shabby consultation in court".