The Dental Defence Union (DDU) is reminding dental professionals to ensure their continuing professional development (CPD) is up to date ahead of renewing their registration with the General Dental Council (GDC).
The reminder comes as the GDC has announced a simplified process for dental professionals to declare CPD when restoring their registration. It means those who have been off the register for less than 12 months and have always complied with CPD will be able to sign a declaration that it is up to date, rather than send a copy of their full CPD record.
The new process is in place in time for the deadline for dental care professionals to renew and pay their annual retention fee (ARF) on 31 July.
John Makin, head of the DDU, said:
"The GDC acknowledges this change is a small step. However more needs to be done to make registration and restoration quicker and easier.
"In the past, a number of DDU members have waited weeks and in some cases months to be restored because of administrative difficulties, so this is a positive development. Nobody wants to see dental professionals drop off the register because of administrative lapses, so we are reminding all registrants to check they have everything needed to renew in good time."
The GDC has urged all dental care professionals to log onto eGDC to check how much CPD they need to complete before they renew their registration and to contact them if they aren't sure.
The DDU's checklist to minimise the risks of registration lapses includes the following points.
- Ensure you declare appropriate CPD requirements (remembering that you can't declare zero hours for two years running including across two separate cycles) and that the declaration goes through correctly.
- Set up a reminder at the time your ARF is due annually or quarterly if you pay by instalments. Check everything is in order for a successful renewal and that payment has been made successfully.
- Ensure your contact and bank details with the GDC are up to date.
- Try to ensure emails don’t go into spam by adding the relevant address to your contact list and marking past emails as legitimate. Keep an eye on your spam folder around renewal time, just in case.
- If your GDC registration lapses, inform your dental defence organisation as soon as possible.
- You will not be able to treat patients until your registration is restored.
Advice on paying the ARF and declaring CPD requirements is on the DDU website.
This page was correct at publication on 13/06/2023. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.