The General Dental Council
Corporate Strategy
2015 – 2018
1
The General Dental Council 2015 – 2018
About the GDC
The General Dental Council (GDC) is the UK-wide statutory regulator of just over 100,000 members of the
dental team, which comprises 40,000 dentists and 60,000 dental care professionals - dental nurses, clinical
dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental technicians, dental therapists, and orthodontic therapists.
The GDC is overseen by a Council of 12 members, 6 lay and 6 registrants.
Our legislation, the Dentists Act 1984 sets us the following objectives:
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To protect the public
To protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and well-being of the public
To promote and maintain confidence in the dental profession
To promote and maintain proper professional standards and conduct for members of those
professions.
The way in which we protect the public and maintain confidence in the dental profession is by ensuring
dental professionals meet our standards and deliver safe and appropriate care to patients.
Our legislation currently provides us with powers:
-
-
To grant registration only to those dental professionals who meet our education and training
requirements and the requirements we set around health and good character. Only those who are
registered with us can practise dentistry in the UK.
To set standards for providers of dental education and training in the UK
To set standards of conduct, performance and ethics for the Dental Team
To investigate Fitness to Practise complaints against dental professionals and where appropriate
take action through our Fitness to Practise process
To require dental professionals to keep their skills up to date through our Continuing Professional
Development requirements.
In addition, we provide the Dental Complaints Service (DCS) which resolves complaints between private
patients and dental professionals.
Our purpose
“We want patients and the public to be confident that the treatment that they receive is provided by a
dental professional who is properly trained and qualified and who meets our standards. If the quality of
care or treatment or the behaviour of a registrant is not acceptable, we will investigate a complaint from a
patient or other party and take action if appropriate.”
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Our values
We aim to demonstrate the following in all that we do:
Fairness – we aspire to treat everyone we deal with fairly.
Transparency – we are open about how we work and how we reach decisions.
Responsive - we can adapt to changing circumstances.
Respect – we treat our partners, our registrants and our employees with respect.
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About this strategy – Patients, Professionals, Partners, Performance
This document sets out the General Dental Council’s strategy for the next 3 years. It sets out our ambition
in 4 key areas:
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Patients: We will put patient and public protection at the heart of what we do and use our powers
to improve the quality of dental care in the UK.
-
Professionals: - We will support dental professionals to deliver high quality dental treatment
-
Partners: - We will work with our partners in the dental sector to protect patients, improve the
quality of dental care and make the system of dental regulation in the UK more effective.
-
Performance: - We will become a high performing regulator which has the confidence of patients,
the public and dental professionals.
By the end of this 3 year period we intend to be a high performing and efficient regulator and to have
brought about significant improvements in the quality of dental care for patients through supporting dental
professionals to deliver high standards of care and through providing better information to patients. We
will also work with our partners to reform the overall system of dental regulation in the UK and the dental
complaints system so that it works more effectively and efficiently. We will base all of this in evidence and
make the most of the data that we have available to us.
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Dentistry in the UK in 2015 – the context for this strategy.
The GDC has developed this strategy at a time when a number of significant changes within the provision
of dental care are occurring. Patient’s needs and expectations about the quality of care are also changing.
These changes, which are set out below, have informed our thinking about what we want to achieve over
the next 3 years and how the GDC as a patient focussed regulator ought to respond to these challenges.
Dental care and the changing nature of provision
Oral health in the UK has improved steadily over the last 40 years although there are still wide variations
both regionally and demographically. The highest levels of dental disease can be seen in more
economically disadvantaged areas 1 2 3 and tooth extraction is the number one cause of hospital admissions
for children which suggests a need for a greater focus on preventative dentistry, particularly for young
children.4 5 However, the oral health of people aged 16-24 is much better than those who are over 45, and
as a result those over 45 are much more likely to continue to require remedial and restorative work (such
as dentures and replacing fillings ) than the younger generation.
At the same time, cosmetic dental treatments – including tooth whitening, the use of implants and veneers
– are becoming more commonplace, and patients who choose these treatments often do so as consumers.
Dental services in the UK are delivered through a mixed economy – a mix between private provision and
NHS provision and private funding and NHS funding The value of the dentistry market in the UK is thought
to amount to £5.73 billion a year, with NHS spending on dental treatment accounting for around 58% and
private spending on dental treatment accounting for 42%, although around 80% of the total amount of
treatment provided to patients is undertaken by the NHS with about 20% provided outside NHS services.6
The dominant model of dental provision is of an independent practice which is owned by a practising
dentist or associates, who has a contract with the NHS and who employs a range of other dental care
professionals such as dental nurses, dental hygienists and therapists, although dental hygienists and dental
technicians are often themselves independent contractors.
However, this model is changing. In February 2014 it was estimated that corporate groups operating 3 or
more dental practices provided 22% of the capacity of UK primary dental care (as measured by the number
of practices and the number of dentists). This has increased significantly over the past 4 years – in 2010,
the corporate market share was 12%.7
The setting where dentistry is provided is also changing. Demographic change means that older people
are increasingly receiving care in care homes or through visits to their own homes. In England in 2014,
over 100,000 domiciliary care visits in dentistry took place. This trend towards care outside of the
traditional dental practice is likely to increase as the population ages. In addition, dental professionals will
1
http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/adhexecutivesummary.pdf
http://www.hscic.gov.uk/article/3740/Dental-Health-Survey-of-Children-and-Young-People
3
http://www.england.nhs.uk/2014/02/19/improve-dental-cta/
4
https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/fds/policy/documents/fds-report-on-the-state-of-childrens-oral-health
5
https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/fds/media-centre-1/press-releases-and-statements/children-hospitalised-unnecessarily-from-toothdecay-experts-warn#.VRloLOE7fwA
6
Office of Fair Trading: ‘Dentistry - An OFT market study’ May 2012 page 4 para 1.2
7
Laing and Buisson Dentistry UK Market Report 2014 page 109
2
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need to be equipped to meet the challenge of providing care to the 1 million people expected to have
dementia by 2021.
We will respond to these changes by ensuring that we have a full understanding of patients’ needs and
expectations across the range of settings where the different forms of dental care are provided and the
challenges faced by Dentists working for different organisations and in different settings. We will use this
knowledge to inform our Standards, the Education and Training of Dentists and our requirements relating
to Continuing Professional Development.
The dental workforce
In order to meet the changes in the nature of dental provision, the dental workforce is adapting. In
England, in 2008 dentists made up 39% of the dental team but this proportion had dropped to 37% by
2013 and there has been an expansion in the numbers of dental nurses, dental technicians and orthodontic
therapists practising.8 The Department of Health in each of the 4 countries along with their associated
workforce planning bodies are looking at ways in which the skills mix within dentistry may be adjusted so
that Dental Care Professionals play a greater role in providing care, including leading on preventative
programmes and helping improving links with patients and the community. Many of the changes to the
role of DCPS and the restructuring of the dental practice team are likely to be reinforced by planned
changes to the NHS dental contract.9
The GDC has supported this new flexibility through introducing Direct Access, whereby patients can gain
access to a Dental Professional without first being referred by a dentist. However, the changes expected
as a result of this have been slow to arrive due mainly to legislative restrictions elsewhere.
The UK, is a net importer of dentists – currently around 17% of the dentists registered with the GDC
obtained qualifications in other parts of the European Economic Area and around 11% qualified outside of
Europe. This is of significant benefit to dentistry and patients in the UK but it means that the GDC and the
NHS need to ensure that those who trained outside the UK have sufficient language skills to communicate
effectively and are able to adapt effectively to working, in particular, within the NHS system. The GDC will
have new powers to assess the English language competence of European dental professionals from 2016
and will need to work more closely with European regulators to share information about dental
professionals who have failed to meet our standards.
We will work with education and training providers and workforce planning bodies across the UK to ensure
that the dental workforce is fit for the challenges of the 21st century. We will also ensure that our own
Continuing Professional Development and registration requirements reflect these changes.
Patient’s concerns and expectations about dentistry.
The vast majority (96%) of patients who have been to see a dentist in the last year are satisfied with the
treatment that they receive, with over 60% saying that they are very satisfied. However, these satisfaction
rates differed according to the background of patients – for example, 65% of those from white
8
9
Centre for Workforce Intelligence – A strategic review of the future dentistry workforce December 2013
Centre for Workforce Intelligence – A strategic review of the future dentistry workforce December 2013
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backgrounds were very satisfied compared to 39% from ethnic minority groups and older people were
more likely to be very satisfied than younger people.10
However, patients often express a number of concerns about the care that they receive. Their main
concern relate to treatment costs, and being unable to judge whether treatment costs are reasonable.
They also have concerns about treatment quality, specifically being unable to judge the quality of the care
they receive and they want a better understanding of the quality standards that they should expect.
Over the next 3 years we will listen more closely to patients about their concerns. We will provide patients
with more information about what they can expect when they visit a dentist and we will use our powers to
improve the quality of care that they receive focussing on those areas where they express most concern.
Patients are also dissatisfied with the dentistry complaints system, and tend not to know how to make a
complaint and whether it would be acted upon. These concerns about dentistry are reflected in a growing
number of complaints which tend to go to a range of different organisations across the dental system. As
an illustration - in 2013-14, the total number of complaints relating to dentists in England was over 12,000
(including Fitness to Practise complaints made to the GDC 3099, to NHS England 6,97311, to CQC 1043 and
to the Dental Complaints Service 1068). We do not know whether these complaints are about the same
issue and about the same dentist but we do recognise that the overall system of handling patient
complaints in dentistry is inefficient and ineffective and requires reform.
Our own experience of handling and resolving complaints about private dentistry through the Dental
Complaints Service has very high satisfaction rates amongst dental professionals and patients and we
consider that this model could have wider application elsewhere.
We will work with our partners to reform the system of dental complaints in the UK so that patients have
their concerns addressed in a timely fashion and by the right organisation.
Our overall understanding of the nature of dental complaints and what they are about is limited. Yet they
provide an excellent data source for understanding those areas of practice within dentistry which require
improvement. Knowing more about the nature of complaints could lead to changes to how dentists are
trained and educated and how we set our standards.
We want to shift our emphasis to reducing the issues that give rise to a complaint. In order to do this we
aim to build our knowledge of the causes of complaints and the barriers which dental professionals face in
meeting our standards. We will do this through analysing our own data and carrying out research which
we will use to inform our standards and the training and education to dental professionals.
The overall system of dental regulation in the UK and the need for reform
The GDC is just one organisation which regulates dentistry in the UK. The NHS in England and Wales holds
a performers list of NHS dentists which covers around 95% of registered primary care dentists and
provides the NHS with powers to manage the performance of dentists and to prevent unsuitable dentists
10
General Dental Council Patient and Public Research 2014.
11
Health and Social Care Information Centre Data on Written Complaints in the NHS 2013-14 http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB14705/datawrit-comp-nhs-2013-2014-rep.pdf. The GDC data is for 2014. CQC 2013-14.
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from working in the NHS. These powers are very similar to the GDCs and similar powers exist within the
NHS in Scotland and the Health Service in Northern Ireland. Dentists working for the NHS are also held to
account for their performance under their contracts with the health service. The Care Quality Commission
(CQC) in England, the Healthcare Inspectorate in Wales (HIW) and the Regulatory and Quality
Improvement Agency in Northern Ireland (RQIA) inspect and regulate the premises where dental services
are provided.
The Francis report into Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust made it clear that collaborative working between the
professional regulators and those that regulate dental practices (CQC, HIW, RQIA, HCIS) and the NHS is
necessary if patients are to be protected. 12 Since then the GDC has undertaken a significant effort to
develop better joint working across the system through putting in place information sharing agreements
and has started to develop arrangements with the NHS in England to ensure more effective collaboration at
local level.
However, the system of dental regulation in the UK was not designed from a blueprint but instead
developed over a number of years, with new layers of regulation being added on to older ones. Many who
work in the system believe that more can be done to delineate the roles and responsibilities of each
organisation and dental professionals frequently express concerns that the overall system of dental
regulation is fragmented, overly burdensome and inefficient. They also believe that the professional
regulator deals with too many issues which could better be resolved at local level.
Reform is needed if the overall system of dental regulation is to work as efficiently and effectively as it can
and the GDC is committed to working with its partners over the next 3 years to develop an improved model
of dental regulation.
Trust and Confidence in the performance of dental regulation
Our own research13 with patients and the public indicates that confidence in the regulation of dental
professionals is high (96% “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied”). When asked about confidence in the GDC’s
ability to regulate dental professionals 77% said that they had confidence.
However, our surveys also indicate that there is less satisfaction amongst GDC registrants with the
performance of the GDC. Our 2013 registrant survey found that 67% were in some way confident, with
just over a quarter 26% saying that they were not confident.
As a result, we recognise that the GDC has some way to go to improve public, patient and registrant trust
in the organisation and the regulatory system that we operate. We also recognise that some of this lack of
confidence in the GDC is due to some of the difficulties that we have had in our own performance, mainly
as a result of a significant increase in fitness to practise complaints in the recent past.
Over the next 3 years we will focus on delivering improvements to the performance of our statutory
functions so that patients and professionals can be confident in the services that we provide
12
http://www.midstaffspublicinquiry.com/report
http://www.gdcuk.org/Newsandpublications/research/Pages/researchitem.aspx?AspXPage=g_87ABE1FB415648AEAA531FA5A647B256:%2540T
itle%3D2013%2520Annual%2520Patient%2520and%2520Public%2520Survey
13
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If patients and the public are to have confidence in professional regulation, radical reform is also needed to
the law which is outdated and antiquated. The GDC is often prevented from introducing innovations and
efficiencies because the legislation which we operate under is now nearly 35 years old. The last
government worked with the professional regulators and the Law Commission to revise the legislative
framework which the GDC and other professional regulators operate under.
We will continue to work with other regulators and the government to push for legislative changes to bring
professional regulation into the 21st century
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Patients, Professionals, Partners, Performance – turning our ambitions into action
We have chosen to set a number of objectives in relation to the 4 key aspects of our work and we have set
out below the activities that we will undertake to deliver these objectives over the next 3 years. Our
intention is that we will be held to account by patients, professionals and our partners for delivering on
these aims and objectives.
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Patients: We will put patient and public protection at the heart of what we do and use our powers
to improve the quality of dental care in the UK.
-
Professionals: - We will support dental professionals to deliver high quality dental treatment
-
Partners: - We will work with our partners in the dental sector to protect patients, improve the
quality of dental care and make the system of dental regulation in the UK more effective.
-
Performance: - We will become a high performing regulator which has the confidence of patients,
the public and dental professionals
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Patients
Strategic Aim: We will put patient and public protection at the heart of what we do and use
our powers to improve the quality of dental care in the UK.
By 2018 we will be a patient-focussed organisation that takes into account the views and
experiences of patients when taking decisions. We will work with our partners and dental
professionals to ensure that patients’ experience of dental care improves and that patients are
empowered to make informed choices about their dental treatment.
Patients: Objective 1 To gain a full understanding of patients’ needs and expectations
so these can be reflected in all the work we do.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will undertake research and gather data to gain a better understanding of how patients of
all ages and backgrounds use dental services in a range of settings from care homes to high
street practices to hospitals. We will use this information to identify ways in which we can
enhance the patients’ experience of dental care.

We will increase our engagement with patients’ bodies and consumer groups– such as
Healthwatch England, Community Health Councils in Wales, Patient and Client Council Northern
Ireland, the Patients Association, National Voices and Which? – so that we can draw on this
opinion to inform our understanding of dental care quality.

We will draw on our UK-wide, online patients panel to gather views on individuals’ experiences
of dental treatment. We will use other direct channels of communicating with patients, for
example through hosting consultation events.

We will review our governance arrangements and ensure that there is an effective way for
patients’ views to be heard in our decision making.
Patients: Objective 2: To promote and enforce standards that take full account of
patients’ needs and legitimate expectations.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will use the data that we have about patient care to develop standards and guidance which
address concerns about the quality of dental care and we will take action with our partner
bodies to ensure that these concerns are addressed.

We are aware that patients often do not receive enough information about their dental
treatment. As a result we will work with our partners in the NHS and the systems regulators to
take action to ensure that when patients receive treatment they are provided with clear
information on the costs of dental care, a treatment plan and all the information that they need
to make informed decisions about their care.
Patients: Objective 3: To increase the information we provide to help patients make
better informed judgments about their treatment
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Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will improve our online register and website so that patients can find out more information
about their dental professional, including how to locate a specialist.

We will explore the development of quality metrics in dentistry so that patients are clear about
the quality of the care that they can expect to receive.

We will produce a range of guidance to patients and their carers about what they can expect
from a visit to a dental professional and what questions they should ask. We will make this
guidance specific according to the type of treatment and the setting where care is provided.
Patients: Objective 4:
To reduce the barriers to patients raising concerns so that problems can be resolved
quickly and fairly by us or a more appropriate organisation
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will improve the information we provide to patients on raising concerns about dental care
with the aim of removing any unnecessary barriers to speedy and fair resolution. For example,
where the concern is not one we can resolve, we will redirect the patient to a more appropriate
body.

We will expand the role of the Dental Complaints Service so that it covers those who have prepayment plans for private dental care and we will promote the Dental Complaints Service as an
example of excellent complaints handling within healthcare so that the wider healthcare system
can learn from our experience.

We will work with our partners (the NHS, the systems regulators and the professional bodies) to
ensure that each dental practice in the UK has an effective complaints system in place so that
complaints are addressed appropriately at local level.

We will work with our partners to ensure that support is available to patients who make fitness
to practise complaints.
Our activities in relation to patients over the next 3 years
2016
2017
2018
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Professionals
Strategic Aim: We will support dental professionals to deliver high quality dental treatment
By 2018 our ambition is to have a much stronger working relationship with the dental professionals
we regulate. We will understand better the circumstances in which dental professionals operate,
we will provide a better service to them and we will support them to deliver high quality care to
patients.
Professionals: Objective 1:
To gain a full understanding of the implications for dental professionals and current
dental practice of the decisions we take to protect patients.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will seek the views of dental professionals, their representative bodies and indemnity providers
before we act to ensure we understand the practical implications of our regulatory decisions.

We will undertake research and gather data to gain a better understanding of the circumstances in
which dental professionals currently practice and the challenges that they face. We will use this
information to inform the standards that we set and to ensure that there is a better understanding
of dentistry right across the GDC.
Professionals: Objective 2.
To ensure that dental professionals are properly trained in the skills necessary to
practise dentistry safely from the outset.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will gather data and undertake research on patient care to inform our approach to regulating
the education and training of the dental profession.

We will make appropriate amendments to our Standards for Education to ensure that all newly
qualified dental professionals are fit to practise in accordance with current dental practice needs,
recognising that the needs of the dental workforce is changing.

We will continuously analyse the data that we have about the performance of education and
training providers to identify areas of training which can be improved and to share examples of best
practice. We will set out these lessons learned in an annual report on the state of dental education
and training in the UK.
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Professionals: Objective 3:
To support dental professionals in keeping their skills up to date throughout their
career.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will introduce a new scheme of enhanced Continuing Professional Development for dental
professionals aimed at providing clearer guidance and support to enable them to keep their skills up
to date.

We will work with the dental sector to improve the quality of Continuing Professional Development
training and courses which dental professionals can access.

We will publish an annual report on the types of complaints we receive with the aim of highlighting
issues that need to be addressed through education, training and through Continued Professional
Development.
Professionals Objective 4:
To guide dental professionals in meeting the standards we set for them, taking into
account patients’ current needs.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will pass on to dental professionals our understanding of patients’ needs and provide guidance
on how to meet these needs through complying with the standards we set.

We will make information about our standards available to dental professionals in an engaging and
accessible format using the most effective information technology so that the standards become
embedded into their everyday practice.

We will work with our partners in the NHS and other regulators to ensure there is support for dental
professionals who are experiencing stress and signpost them to places where they can receive
support.
Professionals Objective 5:
To take quick, fair and proportionate action through our fitness to practise process
when dental professionals do not meet the standards.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will reduce the length of time it takes to investigate a complaint under our fitness to practise
process.
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
We will use a change in the law to reduce the number of fitness to practise cases which go to a
final hearing and we will continue to campaign for wider changes in the law to reform the way we
handle complaints so that we can be more efficient and effective.

We will put in place measures to ensure that dental professionals receive good customer care when
they go through our Fitness to Practise process and that the stress caused by the process is
minimised as far as possible.

We recognise that being the subject of a fitness to practise investigation can be very stressful for a
dental professional, and as well as impacting on health can impact on professional performance. We
will explore how we can minimise the stress caused by the fitness to practise process itself, as well
as improving signposting to appropriate means of support.

We will support those registrants who act as “whistleblowers” within dentistry. We will publish
guidance for dental professionals on how to raise concerns about poor practice (in relation to their
duty of Candour) and will provide additional support to dental professionals who make Public
Interest Disclosures to the General Dental Council through the introduction of a national helpline.
Our activities in relation to professionals over the next 3 years
2016
2017
2018
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Partners
Strategic Aim: We will work with our partners in the dental sector to protect patients, improve
the quality of dental care and make the system of dental regulation and complaints in the UK
more effective.
We recognise that the GDC can only be effective in protecting patients and supporting professionals
if the wider system of dental regulation, including the role played by the NHS and the systems
regulators is effective. By 2018 our ambition is to have transformed how dentistry is regulated in
the UK and how complaints about dentistry are managed. We want to do this by working with our
partners to build a regulatory and complaints system which ensures that the issues of concern are
dealt with at the most appropriate level.
Partners Objective 1
To listen to and develop effective, collaborative relationships with our partners in the
NHS, other regulators, providers of education and training and the wider dental sector.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will establish a stakeholder reference group of all our partners in the Dental Sector which we
will use to develop new and more effective ways of working.

We will actively support the Royal Colleges in their work to improve standards in dentistry and we
will work with Health Education England, NHS Education Scotland and other workforce planning
bodies to ensure that the dental workforce meets the healthcare needs of the population both now
and in the future.

We will contribute to, and actively support, the development of new models of regulation by the
Care Quality Commission, the Healthcare Inspectorate in Wales, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Agency in Northern Ireland.
Partners Objective 2:
To work with the NHS, other regulators and stakeholders to improve the overall system
of dental regulation.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will work with partner bodies to ensure that concerns about the performance and conduct of a
dental professional are dealt with by the appropriate body which could be the employer, the NHS,
the system regulator or the GDC.

We will evaluate the pilots that we have in place with the NHS in England to promote effective joint
working between the GDC and the NHS at local level where there are concerns about an NHS
dentist’s performance or fitness to practise. If these are successful we will roll them out across the
rest of England and the other countries of the UK.
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
We will implement the recommendations of the national Regulation of Dental Services Programme
Board in England which seeks to reduce overlap, duplication and unnecessary burdens on dental
professionals. We will look to extend this approach to the other 3 countries of the United Kingdom.

We will build on the information sharing agreements that we have in place between the GDC and
the NHS and other systems regulators to ensure that all relevant organisations are made aware, in
a timely manner, of potential risks and issues of concern about dental practice, as and when they
arise.
Partners objective 3:
To work with partners to improve the overall system of handling patient complaints
about dental care.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will carry out research and gather data to determine how effective the complaints system is
within both public and private dentistry in the UK with the intention of providing recommendations
for improvement.

Using this data we will work with our partners, including the Departments of Health, the NHS and
the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to design and develop a more effective system
for handling complaints so that it works effectively for patients and professionals.
Our activities in relation to Partners over the next 3 years
2016
2017
2018
17
Performance
Strategic Aim: We will become a high performing regulator which has the confidence of
patients, the public and dental professionals.
Our ambition is to be an efficient, effective and innovative regulator which meets the standards set
by the Professional Standards Authority. We will be transparent about our performance and we will
seek to reduce our costs whilst at the same time enhancing the quality of the services that we
provide to professionals and patients. We will learn from examples of best practice elsewhere and
share our examples of best practice with others. We will seek feedback on our performance so that
we can continuously improve.
Performance objective 1:
To improve our performance across all our functions so that we become highly effective
as a regulator
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will reduce the time taken to investigate a fitness to practise complaint. We will improve the
timeliness and accuracy of all of our fitness to practise decisions and we will quality assure decisions
at all stages of our fitness to practise process.

We will introduce case examiners to our Fitness to Practice process and introduce undertakings to
avoid costly and unnecessary cases going to fitness to practise panels.

We will improve the customer service experience by ensuring that by 2018 dental professionals will
be able to manage all aspects of their registration online.

We will review how we inspect education and training providers and learn lessons for improvement
and implement changes.

We will improve how we communicate with professionals, patients and our partners – including
revising our website - and we will measure how successful we have been.

We will invest in our staff, through providing high quality training and induction so that staff will be
properly equipped to deliver more efficient and effective services. We will introduce a system of
performance related pay to reward high performance.
Performance objective 2:
To improve how we manage our resources so that we become a more efficient
regulator.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

We will reduce costs through reviewing each of aspect of our business and the organisational
structure as a whole.
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
We will ensure that we only charge registrants the amount it costs us to regulate them whilst
maintaining an appropriate level of reserves.

We will review the location and accommodation for our staff. We will consider innovative solutions
to ensure that our estate delivers value for money whilst meeting the needs of our business
effectively.

We will continue to review and develop our internal IT systems to ensure they meet the needs of
our business, and deliver value for money.

We will benchmark our performance against other regulators and we will learn from their best
practice and how they have achieved efficiencies.
Performance objective 3:
To be more transparent about our performance so that patients, professionals and our
partners can have confidence in the GDC.
Over the next 3 years we will do the following to meet this objective:

In addition to our annual report, we will publish an annual statement setting out how our funds are
spent on each of our statutory functions and what we have done to keep costs under control.

We will set challenging Key Performance Indicators for all aspects of our business to ensure
continuous improvement and we will publish how our operational teams are performing against
these indicators.

We will undertake regular customer satisfaction surveys of those who use our services and
implement what we have learnt from them.

We will seek patients’, professionals’ and partners’ views on the kinds of information about our
performance that we should make available.

We will be transparent about how we set our budget and our fee levels. For example we will
publish how we forecast our fitness to practise caseload and other key drivers of our cost base.
Our activities in relation to our performance over the next 3 years
2016
2017
2018
19
20