This year my blog has been overshadowed by happenings at the GDC, both directly in relation to myself but mostly in relation to the profession as a whole.
I would rather write about other things.
Important though to tie things up before the Christmas holidays with a short update as to what appears to have happened in just over a year.
- At the end of last year the GDC were found to have acted unlawfully in their dealing with the annual retention fee.
- The Chief Executive and the Chair were called before a health select committee accountability hearing which many of us watched. I do not feel that they represented themselves particularly well in that.
- Following the judicial review which was found to be unlawful the retention fee was maintained at the same level for the second year in a row.
- There has been a litany of cases that have passed through fitness to practice hearings this year which have made many of us cringe with disbelief at the charges which are utterly irrelevant to fitness to practice but worse still I am led to believe there have been 9 cases through the council this year which have gone to full hearing and then resulted in no case to answer. 9 cases. That is a case every 6 weeks at the GDC where someone’s life has been utterly ruined only to find out that the fitness to practice panel felt there was no case to answer. I have read many of the determinations of the council’s cases this year but the one that I would like to quote you is the one from my own investigation committee letter which I received in early January 2015. This followed a heartbreaking period from October 2013 until January 2015 where I had been accused of being misleading, deliberately misleading and dishonest. In relation to those allegations the investigation committee at the GDC had this to say “it is unclear to the committee what particular conduct this allegation relates to. In any case the committee does not consider that there is any evidence to support this allegation. The committee therefore considers that this allegation does not stand a real prospect of being found proven”
At what point is it reasonable to suggest a clinician with 20 years standing of unblemished character is deliberately dishonest where no evidence exists? In real terms my case was small potatoes compared to some of the terrible cases that have gone through this year yet been found none proven.
Finally though on the 21st December there was a report released by the professional standards authority. The link to that is here. You must read the summary of this report here now and you must send the link to any dentists you know and they must read it too.
It does not require me to summarise this report here, nor does it require me to cast judgment, that is entirely done within the report. What must happen now though is that the profession must come together both at a leadership level and at a grass roots level and stand up for what is right. We must not be afraid to speak out and we must not be afraid to criticise what is clearly an organisation that is in crisis and is not functioning properly.
Actions will begin in the first week of January and concerted efforts will be made to bring the profession together to stand up against this to change it for the future for all of us and the people that come behind us.
Take the Christmas holidays to reconstitute yourself, to read the PSA report and find out what is going on then come back reinvigorated to stand up for your profession.
Blog Post Number: 807