GDC chair addresses concerns over annual retention fee increase

The General Dental Council's (GDC's) chairman William Moyes has moved to address dental practitioners' concerns about a planned rise to the regulator's annual retention fee (ARF).

In a statement published by Dentistry.co.uk, the head of the much-criticised organisation acknowledged the unhappiness with the proposed fee increase, while seeking to offer an explanation.

He noted that the ARF has not been changed since 2010, during which time the GDC's fitness to practise assessment workload has risen significantly. He also offered assurances that efficiency improvements are being made to help avoid any further large ARF increases in future.

Mr Moyes also accepted there is a certain degree of justification in the recent criticism the GDC has received over its performance as a regulator, stating that "substantial sums" are being spent to raise its standards.

"This involves more staff and more fitness to practise panellists to clear a backlog of cases and to process new cases faster; more robust management of staff performance; and improvements to our IT and related systems," he said.

The British Dental Association recently called for a government investigation into the GDC's competence, while suggesting the proposed 64 percent hike to the ARF would not be enough to correct the "inefficiency and mismanagement" that plagues the organisation.