Renewing the GDC registration involves the payment of the £114 Annual Retention Fee (ARF) and making declarations of indemnity cover and Continuing Professional Development compliance.
The GDC must receive the ARF payment by 23.59 on 31 July 2023; DCPs who have not made the payment will be taken off the register and must go through a more onerous and lengthy restoration process; you will not be able to work until your registration has been reinstated.
DCPs are encouraged to check whether the payment has been received by the GDC, especially if the ARF payments are being made by direct debit and/or via a company account. If reminders to pay the fee have been received by email, text or letter, these are personalised and must not be ignored.
Experience has shown that GDC reminders or direct debit failure notices are not always received by the registrants, with serious consequences given the onerous restoration process. We urge all DCPs to ensure that the payment, in whichever way it has been made (by direct debit, bank transfer or credit card) has actually gone out; that any failed payments are spotted in good time; and that the need to make the payment by the deadline is not forgotten.
Copies of receipts should be accessible on registrants’ eGDC accounts, under the ‘manage payments’ section. The GDC states that receipts will be available there two working days after payment has been completed. We would therefore encourage payment to be made in good time so that registrants can be sure payments have been received or rectify any issues before the deadline.
It is also important that all DCPs make their CPD statement in the next few weeks. At least 10 hours of verifiable CPD in two consecutive years must be declared; for example, any DCP who declared two hours in the summer of 2022 must, this summer, declare a minimum of eight hours of CPD; otherwise, their registration is at risk. Those coming to the end of their five-year CPD cycle must ensure that their declarations add up to at least 50 hours of CPD over the five years (dental nurses and dental technicians) or 75 hours (dental hygienists, dental therapists, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists). Anyone who does not currently have the necessary hours to comply with these requirements can undertake verifiable CPD up to 31 July 2023 to comply, but the GDC will not accept CPD undertaken after this date to count towards these requirements.
We encourage all members to ensure as far as possible that their DCP colleagues have undertaken the required CPD hours and have made the necessary payments and declarations.