The General Dental Council (GDC) has launched a new consultation over the annual retention fees (ARF), suggesting a freeze in fees.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has responded to the consultation explaining that despite a suggested freeze in fees, the GDC remains the most expensive health regulator.
In 2014 the BDA took the GDC to court over a flawed fees consultation, despite the judge ruling in favour of the BDA the court declined to reverse the 55% increase in ARF that emerged from that consultation.
‘Today the General Dental Council has announced a consultation on not changing their fees,’ Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association said.
‘We hope they aren’t expecting us to take any comfort from this, as for 40,000 dentists “business as usual” means another year shackled to the most expensive, and least effective health regulator in Britain.
‘This latest announcement shows nothing has changed.
‘Dentists are still paying double the average for UK health professionals.
‘Registrants are still on the receiving end of the same one-sided conversation from a cavalier regulator, which continues to ignore its own failings.
‘What we’ve not seen is any real willingness from a failed regulator to get on top of its day job, and to finally draw a line under years of mission creep.
‘For our part we will be subjecting these numbers to forensic scrutiny.
‘We encourage all colleagues to have their say, so we can see what the GDC’s commitment to “transparency” and “openness” really means.’
