MyGDCInformation for dental professionals facing a fitness to practise investigation
We investigate serious concerns about a dental professional’s practice, health or behaviour as part of our public protection role.
If we have told you that a concern has been raised about you, please remember that we have not taken any action, other than what was set out when we contacted you. You might want to get in touch with your indemnifier, defence organisation or insurer to ask what advice or support is available to you or contact a solicitor for advice.
You can continue working in your current role while we investigate.
Review our guidance if you are thinking about leaving the register.
Reach out if you need support
Our investigations can take time to resolve, and it can be a difficult time for dental professionals. Please reach out to one of the organisations providing health and wellbeing support if you feel you need it at any time during the process.
Please contact us if you need help accessing support.
What happens next?
We will have explained to you why we are looking into the issues that have been raised with us and may have asked you to provide some further details. Responding in a timely way helps us to resolve matters as quickly as we can.
When we have all the information we need, including any advice from our clinical advisers, we will review it and decide what to do next. We will inform you of our decision as soon as possible.
Following an investigation, we will assess all the information we have gathered, and we will make one of the following decisions:
- Close the case and take no further action
- Refer the matter to the case examiners for a decision
Where we refer the matter to the case examiners, we will raise allegations that your fitness to practise may be impaired. We will invite you to provide your comments / observations on the allegations being raised.
Find out more about the stages of the fitness to practise process.
Providing your comments
We may ask you to submit comments or observations about the allegations raised. You will normally have 28 days to do this.
You do not have to submit comments, but most people do because it helps ensure that we are fully informed of the relevant facts as early as possible in the process. Providing comments within the time limit can be challenging, so we may provide more time in some circumstances. Please contact the GDC caseworker for more information.
Consideration by case examiners
Cases are passed to case examiners for consideration when we have gathered all the relevant information needed to reach a decision. Only around a third of all cases raised with us are referred to case examiners.
Each case is considered by two case examiners, one lay and one dental professional. Case examiners review the information and evidence relating to the allegations before reaching a decision.
Find out more about case examiners’ decisions and reviews.
Find out more about undertakings agreed with case examiners.
Hearings and decisions
Case examiners can decide to refer cases to a practice committee at the Dental Professionals Hearings Service. The Hearings service provides an independent adjudication service.
Cases can also be referred to the Hearings service at any stage for an assessment of immediate and serious risks to public safety and confidence. The Interim Orders Committee will assess the risk and decide if registration needs to be restricted while issues are investigated.
Find listings of hearings and decisions on the Dental Professionals Hearings Service website.