A MAJORITY of dentists (66 per cent) responding to a consultation on the annual retention fee (ARF) do not believe that the GDC has provided a clear account of its resource needs for 2015.
An overwhelming majority (97 per cent) of respondents rejected the need for a 64 per cent rise in the ARF to £945 per year.
The consultation on the ARF level closed on 4 September with 4,474 responses received. The GDC Council has met to consider the outcomes and broader themes that have emerged about regulation and the handling of complaints in particular.
The GDC has also commissioned the auditors KPMG to review the full range of assumptions underlying the proposal to raise the ARF. This will focus in particular on the projected fitness to practise caseload.
The GDC has said it will study all the consultation responses and a final report, including the findings by KPMG, will be considered by the Council on 30 October, at which point a decision will be made on the level of the ARF for 2015.
In an interview in next issue of MDDUS Summons, GDC chief executive and registrar Evlynne Gilvarry says: "The ARF was last increased in 2010. Since then fitness to practise (FtP) complaints to the GDC have increased by 110 per cent.
"Without further significant investment in our FtP processes we will be unable to deal effectively with the very large increase in our caseload and so we must make adequate provision."
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.
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