New chair of the GDC reveals her plans to unite the sector

The new chair of the General Dental Council (GDC) has laid out her plans to unite the sector to ‘make a meaningful difference to address healthcare inequalities’.

In her first statement, Dr Helen Phillips, said: “Dental professionals provide vital healthcare for millions of people in the UK, through prevention, education, and treatment.

“This is what makes a difference to patients and the public and I join the GDC already in admiration of what the dental team provides.

“I am also acutely aware that the system of oral healthcare is not without its challenges.

“I commit to working collaboratively with dental professionals and stakeholder organisations in the sector.

“My aim is that dental professionals feel a sense of pride – never fear – in being regulated by a trusted, effective, proportionate regulator and that, together, we can make a meaningful difference to address healthcare inequalities.”

She met with other council members and the GDC’s Executive Leadership Team shortly before taking on the new role and said it was ‘an invaluable opportunity to learn more about what we each bring to dental regulation and our commitment to making a positive difference’.

And she revealed that the council, which regulates dentists across the UK, receives around 875 applications each month from dental care professionals who want to join the register.

“Up to the end of August this year, 399 dentists had joined the register after passing the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), which is more than one third of the annual output from UK dental schools and already 45 more than in the whole of last year,” she added, showing that the UK sector was increasingly attractive to foreign clinicians.

In addition, in a closed meeting, the council discussed the initial feedback on the Corporate Strategy consultation and how this is shaping into decisions about priorities and funding that council will make in October.

These decisions, in turn, set the Annual Retention Fee (ARF), details of which are expected later this month.

Dr Phillips said: “Looking ahead to my priorities, I’m excited to start meeting stakeholders.

“Later this week I meet the Society of British Dental Nurses and the British Society of Dental Hygienists and Therapists to discuss how dental nurses, hygienists, and therapists are utilised in the dental team.

“Later in October, I will meet the Dental Schools Council and hope to hear more about their priorities for dental education and have discussions with the Chief Dental Officers that will focus on shared priorities for dental regulation across the four nations.

“In November, I will meet the BDA, which will no doubt highlight the challenges faced by patients in accessing NHS dental care, and I look forward to meeting our regulator, the Professional Standards Authority, to discuss our performance.”