Many dentists consider leaving the profession after being investigated by the General Dental Council (GDC).
A new survey from Dental Protection has shown that 94% of respondents felt it had an impact on their stress and anxiety and 33% had considered leaving the profession because of the experience of being investigated by the GDC.
‘It is worrying that so many dental professionals feel they are suffering from stress and anxiety as a result of a GDC investigation, but not entirely surprising,’ Kevin Lewis, dental director at Dental Protection, said.
‘Investigations can sometimes take years to conclude meaning dental practitioners have to continue practising while waiting for the GDC to decide their fate.’
Health and wellbeing
The survey of 140 Dental Protection members also showed that 76% believe the investigation impacted on their personal life and 71% felt it affected their health and wellbeing.
A third of respondents (32%) believe they received enough support in looking after their health throughout the investigation.
However, of those, four in 10 (40%) felt they needed clearer expectations from the GDC and one in 10 (11%) were left feeling they needed counselling.
‘GDC investigations can also have a long-lasting effect on dental practitioners, with 67% of respondents believing it impacted on their confidence and a quarter (26%) feeling their future career prospects would be affected,’ Kevin Lewis continued.
‘It is heartening to see that despite the obvious challenges of dealing with a GDC investigation, 49% of members learned from the experience and looked forward to continuing their career.’
