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16th January 2012

Delays in processing dental complaints

Complaints against Dentists

The way in which the General Dental Council (GDC) regulates dental professionals within the UK has been called into question after it was revealed that of 1,400 complaints made to them in 2010, 72 complaints had still not been dealt with after nine months.

The GDC have the power to discipline a dentist and, ultimately, strike them off the Dentists’ Register.

The GDC’s regulator the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) carried out two audits to investigate the length of time it took to process disciplinary cases. The audits identified record keeping as a factor that contributed to delays, in one case important information was documented on a Post-it note.

Patient safety and the quality of dentistry

Harry Cayton, CHRE Chief Executive said: “The General Dental Council needs to refocus all its energy and attention on patient safety and the quality of dentistry.

“That is its job and that is what it needs to do and it needs to put the resources, the time and the attention necessary to do that.”

Last year the GDC hired additional staff and a new chief executive put a reform programme into place. Since then the backlog of cases have fallen from 72 to 51.

Michael Burrell, a solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors’ Clinical Negligence Unit said: “As any other medical complaint, dental complaints need to be handled as quickly as possible to ensure patient safety and consumer confidence. Delays of nine months in investigation runs the risk that an incompetent dentist incorrectly treat hundreds of more patients before their professional problems are addressed.”

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