PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
UK-wide dental defence organisation MDDUS would like to reassure members following a recent General Dental Council (GDC) announcement about a new annual indemnity declaration.
All GDC registrants, including dental care professionals (DCPs), are now legally required to be indemnified and must declare this when they renew their Annual Retention Fee (ARF) ahead of the July 31 deadline.
MDDUS Head of Dental Division Aubrey Craig said: “Dental professionals who are registering with the GDC for the first time, or renewing their registration, will now be required to declare that they have the necessary indemnity or insurance to cover them in their work.
“In relation to dental nurses’ declarations, employing principals should reassure their employed nurses that they have access to adequate and appropriate indemnity vicariously through their employing principal’s membership with MDDUS.
“This indemnity covers investigations or claims arising out of the practice of dentistry, provided the nurses have acted within their skill set and competence, and under the direction of a dentist.
“Please note that vicarious cover extends only to employed dental nurses (not locums) where the employing principal is an MDDUS member. Members who fulfil the above terms can be reassured that they have appropriate indemnity in place to meet the new GDC declaration requirements.
“However, if dental nurses, hygienists, therapists and other members of the dental team aren’t appropriately indemnified, they will not be able to register and will therefore become temporarily unable to carry out their duties until the matter is resolved.”
MDDUS receives calls each year from concerned dentists whose staff have missed the registration deadline and are unable to see patients. This could cause major disruptions to a practice with patient appointments being cancelled and principals may be forced to find temporary cover. As a result, patient care may be compromised.
“DCPs are urged to check the indemnity arrangements,” says Craig. “It’s important that they do not leave it up to their employer to renew their ARF and instead do it themselves.
“Practices are advised to have a system in place to check that everyone within the team is fully registered ahead of the deadline. These checks should also apply to temporary staff members. From our experience, it is fairly common for DCPs to believe they have paid their ARF only to discover that the payment has failed.”
The GDC does not require registrants to provide an indemnity certificate unless specifically requested for further information.
Find out more in the GDC indemnity FAQs
Ends
For further information contact Richard Hendry on 0845 270 2034 or 07976 272266, or email rihendry@mddus.com.
Note to editors
MDDUS (The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland) is a medical and dental defence organisation providing access to professional indemnity and expert medico- and dento-legal advice for doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals throughout the UK.
For further information on MDDUS go to www.mddus.com
This page was correct at the time of publication. 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.