PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: Wednesday, 9 July 2014
Dentists are reminded to ensure their staff pay their Annual Retention Fee (ARF) on time as failure to do so will result in them being temporarily unable to carry out their duties, says UK-wide dental defence organisation MDDUS.
Dental Care Professionals must renew their GDC registration by the end of this month and each year MDDUS receives calls from concerned dentists whose staff have missed the payment deadline and are unable to see patients.
With the deadline looming, MDDUS Head of Dental Division Aubrey Craig is urging all healthcare professionals to ensure DCPs are registered with the GDC or patient care may be compromised.
“Any DCPs who are not registered with their regulatory body for whatever reason cannot carry out duties associated with their role,” says Craig. “This could cause major disruptions to a practice with patient appointments being cancelled and principals may be forced to find temporary cover.
“MDDUS would advise all practices to check that everyone within the team is fully registered ahead of the deadline. From our experience, it is fairly common for DCPs to believe they have paid their ARF only to discover that the payment has failed.
“Often a simple change in personal information, such as home address or direct debit details, is to blame. If a direct debit is set up then it is crucial to ensure the mandate remains current and that bank details have not recently changed.
“We regularly receive calls once the deadline has passed asking for advice on steps to take when a DCP is not registered and whether or not they can still carry out their duties.
“If your staff have failed to re-register then they will need to complete a form to apply for restoration to the DCP list. Furthermore, they are required to have a medical examination and provide a character reference, as well as giving evidence they have completed the required amount of CPD.
“In the meantime they cannot carry out clinical work until they are re-registered.”
Any DCPs who fail to make the payment on or before the 31 July deadline may be removed from the GDC’s register and will not be eligible to work. A list of those people removed from the register will be circulated to UK Primary Care Trusts, Health Boards and indemnity providers to enable them to keep their records up to date.
“Problems can also occur if a practitioner’s subscription to their dental defence organisation is not renewed, meaning no indemnity is in place if a claim is subsequently received for the period of the lapsed subscription,” says Craig.
Practices are advised to have a system in place to check that staff subscriptions with bodies such as the GDC and defence organisations are renewed on time. The GDC website provides a secure web portal where registrants can manage their registration, pay fees and update personal information.
Ends
For further information contact Richard Hendry on 0845 270 2034 or 07976 272266, or email rihendry@mddus.com.
Note to editors
MDDUS (The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland) is a medical and dental defence organisation providing access to professional indemnity and expert medico- and dento-legal advice for doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals throughout the UK. For further information on MDDUS go to www.mddus.com.
This page was correct at the time of publication. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.