The General Dental Council (GDC) has expressed its support for regulation changes proposed by the government to increase the ability of overseas dentists to practise within the UK.
In a consultation on 16 February, the government proposed plans to give the GDC the power to provisionally register dentists who have qualified overseas. This applies before they have fulfilled requirements for full registration such as passing the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE). Provisional registrants would be able to practise in any dental setting under the supervision of a fully-registered dentist.
The GDC welcomed these proposals, saying they were ‘the essential first step’ towards providing provisional registration. However, the regulator also noted that implementation of the proposals would be ‘a substantial task’.
It said: ‘There is much to be done to design the processes which will allow provisional registration to work safely and effectively, to consult on and set the detailed rules which will underpin that – and then to ensure that the supervisory capacity and practice environments are in place to support internationally-qualified dentists to achieve full registration.’
‘We will ensure that our standards continue to be met’
Stefan Czerniawski, executive director for strategy at the GDC, stressed the regulator’s desire to prioritise patients and standards of care. He said: ‘We need to move at pace but not lose sight of the fundamental requirement to protect patients and ensure they receive high quality dental care.
‘As we work towards the introduction of provisional registration, we will ensure that our standards continue to be met and that provisional registrants receive the support they need to practise safely and prepare for the transition to full registration.’
The GDC also said the exact impact of these changes was unclear at this stage. For example, the exact number of dentists who would be able to work provisionally would depend on the number of schemes and places within those schemes offered.
‘A failed system’
The British Dental Association (BDA) responded less positively to the consultation, describing the proposal as the latest attempt to fill a ‘leaky bucket’. It said: ‘Overseas dentists are no more likely to stick with a failed system than their UK colleagues.’
The association urged the government to take further action to address the UK dental system as a whole. It said: ‘Ministers need to stop trying to fill a leaky bucket, and actually fix it.’
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