BDA steps up campaign against GDC fee increase

The British Dental Association (BDA) has outlined the initiatives and steps it is taking in its ongoing fight against the General Dental Council's (GDC's) controversial annual retention fee hike.

Having expressed its strong opposition to the regulator's proposed 64 per cent increase, the BDA has sent an email to all of its members asking for their views on the move, as well as gauging their overall confidence in the GDC as a regulator.

Meanwhile, a postcard has been included in the most recent edition of the British Dental Journal addressed to health secretary Jeremy Hunt, which members can sign and return as a means of demonstrating their opposition to the GDC proposals.

Earlier this month, the association met with the leaders of the GDC to express the dissenting views of the profession in the strongest possible terms, while a letter has been written to Mr Hunt calling for an investigation into the GDC's competence.

The BDA has stated it believes the cash injection will have a harmful impact on dental professionals, adding that money alone cannot correct the regulator's "inefficiency and mismanagement".