While it is important to stress that the risk of a career-changing fitness to practice (FtP) outcome is extremely low, members who have been through an FtP investigation often tell us that they have found it stressful, unnecessarily protracted and emotionally draining. Even when there were no findings of fact or sanction, they felt the process was effectively a punishment in and of itself.
This unhappy picture has been mirrored in the findings of two pieces of GDC commissioned research, which sought feedback on the FtP process from participants, including dental professionals, complainants and GDC staff.
When asked which areas needed improvement, 75% of dental professional respondents cited the time it took for their case to be resolved, while 70% mentioned the support they had received from the GDC. Comments raised concerns about infrequent updates on their case, the unfairly short deadlines for responses compared to the long wait for contact from the GDC, and the mental health impact of receiving GDC emails and letters.
Responding to the findings, the GDC accepted that lengthy FtP investigations can negatively impact the mental health and wellbeing of those involved. But of course, the ripples spread outwards to families, friends and fellow dental professionals. And anyone who has witnessed a colleague go through this will worry that they could be next, especially in the context of a highly pressured and under-funded NHS dental service where practitioners are bearing the brunt of patients’ frustration.
The possibility of an FtP case, with all that might entail, as well as the constant threat of patient complaints and litigation, have led to a climate of fear taking hold in dentistry. This is inevitably having a negative impact on professionals’ health and wellbeing.
We’re seeing increased levels of workplace stress and exhaustion (this issue includes an article on managing burnout in dental practice), and many are making the difficult decision to walk away from NHS work for a less stressful working environment. The result is a further depleted NHS service and reduced access for patients.
A fairer, more proportionate and swifter FtP process would go a long way to addressing the climate of fear. However, the government is still effectively tying the GDC’s hands by failing to modernise its legislative framework, although it has announced plans to reform three other professional regulators in this parliament.
Thankfully, the GDC has committed to using what freedom it has to put its own house in order. As well as improvements such as Initial Inquiries, its new corporate strategy 2026-2028 says it wants to, “explore less adversarial ways of handling and resolving concerns,” such as remediation.
Under Objective 3, the GDC says it will develop options for closing cases earlier in 2026 with a view to instigating “procedural improvements that can be implemented without legislative change” the following year. It also pledges to launch enhanced wellbeing support services, review quality assurance processes and carry out more research on the mental health impact of FtP.
These are positive steps and we will respond constructively when the GDC sets out its proposals in detail. But we all need the government to play its part by issuing a Section 60 Order and give the green light to the radical reform that dental professionals were promised.
In the meantime, we hope the GDC will make meaningful progress on reducing the delays that continue to plague the FtP process, particularly after the assessment stage.
The GDC accepted that lengthy FtP investigations can negatively impact the mental health and wellbeing of those involved.
The GDC’s most recent statistical report showed that a decision was reached in just 4% of cases within the 13 working week target in Q4 2024, and the median time from case examiner decision to initial hearing in 2024 was 10 months and six days, beyond the nine-month target.
The Professional Standards Authority’s (PSA) most recent report on the GDC (December 2025) found that it had again failed to meet Standard 15 which concerns the fairness, proportionality and timeliness of the FtP process. The PSA said the measures the GDC had put in place to shorten timescales had not made sufficient difference.
![Red Whale CPD banner ad visual]()
Given that DDU members are currently receiving notices of hearing dates in 2027, much more needs to be done in this area if the GDC is to meet its own regulatory standards. These waits are a significant source of stress for dental professionals, who must put their careers and lives on hold and face financial hardship and uncertainty while the FtP process unfolds. They also effectively reduce capacity for long periods when access is already limited, especially in rural areas.
Members under investigation by the GDC can turn to the DDU for support throughout protracted investigations, and we hope that colleagues will look out for them too. But the profession deserves a better FtP process – one that upholds professional standards and protects patients, without subjecting those under investigation to a punishing ordeal. It’s time for fairness to replace fear.
John Makin BDS PgDL PgCDE FHEA
Head of the DDU
John Makin BDS PgDL PgCDE FHEA
Head of the DDU
John spent almost 30 years in NHS and private general dental practice. From an early stage in his career he became involved in Vocational Training and developed an interest in the dento-legal aspects of the profession. He has postgraduate diplomas in law and dental education and served on the GDC’s Fitness to Practise Committee before becoming a dento-legal adviser at the DDU. He is currently Head of the DDU.
See more by John Makin BDS PgDL PgCDE FHEA