www.gdc-uk.org

Continuing Professional

Development and continuing

assurance

Context

www.gdc-uk.org

Standards for the Dental Team

• Nine Principles

• Patient expectations - what patients expect from their dental

professionals

• Standards - what registrants ‘must’ do to meet patients’

expectations

• Guidance - how registrants ‘must’ and ‘should’ behave to

meet the standards

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Format

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1. Put patients’ interests first

2. Communicate effectively with patients

3. Obtain valid consent

4. Maintain and protect patients’ information

5. Have a clear and effective complaints procedure

6. Work with colleagues in a way that serves the interests of

patients

7. Maintain, develop and work within your professional

knowledge and skills

8. Raise concerns if patients are at risk

9. Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients’

confidence in you and the dental profession

www.gdc-uk.org

CPD for Dental Professionals • Principle 7: Maintain, develop and work within

your professional knowledge and skills

• Patients expect all members of the dental

team…keep their skills up to date.

• You must:

7.2: work within your knowledge, skills and

professional competence and abilities.

7.3: update your professional knowledge

and skills throughout your working life.

What is Continuing Professional Development?

• CPD for dental professionals is set out in law.

• The law says CPD is activity which:

“(a) comprises lectures, seminars, courses, individual study or other activities undertaken

by a dentist or an applicant for restoration to the register…;

(b) can reasonably be expected to advance a person’s professional development as a

dentist; and

(c) is relevant to the person’s practice or intended practice;” (CPD Rules for dentists 2008)

www.gdc-uk.org

One revised booklet

Revision – why now?

• New Standards went live on 30 September

2013.

• Refresh look of booklet and consolidate.

• Ensure guidance sticks closely to Rules.

• No changes to requirements.

What is CPD for dental professionals for?

• Support maintaining and keeping skills up to

date to meet GDC Standards.

• Contribute to ensuring good quality patient

care.

• Ensure keeping up to date with new

technologies and skills to meet patient

expectations and make sure maintaining the

right behaviours and attitudes.

• Not only relates to clinical skills but soft skills

e.g. effective communication.

Who is CPD for? • Dental professionals, to ensure professionalism and quality.

• The dental team, colleagues, employers to make a good quality

contribution and impact.

• Patients and all those whose life is affected by the work.

• Dental care in the UK and the wider public.

• The GDC to enable registrants to provide some assurances about

their practice and meet the Standards required.

www.gdc-uk.org

What registrants know...

Annual Registrants Survey 2012

• Almost all survey respondents (94%) were either ‘very confident’ or

‘confident’ about how much continuing professional development

(CPD) they were required to do.

• Confidence levels were slightly lower (78%) either ‘very confident’ or

‘confident’ when asked whether they knew what action the GDC may

take if they did not complete their CPD.

Enventure Research/GDC Annual Survey of Registrants 2012 – Feb 2012

www.gdc-uk.org

What patients think…. Revalidation: The Patient Perspective 2009

Based on focus groups, found that patients “need to be reassured that their dentist is qualified,

competent and safe”. Revalidation: The Patient Perspective 2009 Ipsos Mori

Annual Patients & Public Survey 2011

How important is: “Requiring a dentist to demonstrate that their skills and knowledge are kept up to

date”?

95% considered it important to very important (ranking it as 7 to 10)

75% rated it as very important (choosing the maximum 10 out of 10 on the 1-10 rating

scale)

1% considered it not important. GDC Annual Survey of Registrants 2011 IPSOS Mori/ComRes

www.gdc-uk.org

Current Requirements

• 5 year CPD cycle

• 250/150 Hours of CPD

• 75/50 Hours of CPD “verifiable”

• Verifiable means in law:

documentary evidence of “concise educational aims and objectives; clear

anticipated outcomes; and quality controls” (CPD Rules Dentists/DCPS 2008)

Potential impact of good CPD • Dental professionals’ knowledge, skills and behaviour up to date

and fit to practise

• Development of new skills

• Patient safety maintained

• Good quality of care and good patient outcomes

• Patient trust and confidence in the dental profession

Achieving more effective CPD • Repeated learning is likely to be more effective

• Personal Development Plans and appraisal can support effective

CPD decision-making and participation

• Reflection is a core aspect of making CPD effective

• CPD should be driven by individual needs

• The blending of different learning approaches is likely to have a

positive impact.

(Eaton&FGDPs/GDC 2011)

Not keeping up to date ?

• Risk to quality of practice and patient safety.

• Not engaging with needs and developments

in dentistry.

• Administrative removal from the register.

• Not able to work as a dental professional.

• Must do CPD to re-join the register.

• Pay a restoration fee (£144 DCPs/£696 Dentists/+£84 Specialists).

Proposals

for new

CPD

requirements

Our proposals

• Maintain CPD 5 year cycle

• Mandatory CPD annual declarations

• Declare that hold and maintain a CPD Plan

• Linking CPD to annual registration

retention

Our proposals cont.

• Learning outcomes to link to GDC

standards

• Verifiable CPD only

• Enhanced eGDC portal

• Change to hours requirement

www.gdc-uk.org

Proposed minimum CPD

hours…

Registrant group Minimum verifiable

CPD hours, per

cycle

Dentists 100 hours

Dental Therapists

Dental Hygienists

Orthodontic Therapists, and

Clinical Dental Technicians

75 hours

Dental Nurses

Dental Technicians

50 hours

CPD consultation

• Public consultation Oct 2012

– Jan 2013 (4 months)

• Public & CPD provider

Focus Group Jan 2013

• Analysis of responses

• Further policy development,

cost-benefit analysis, rules change

CPD consultation cont. The CPD consultation proposals placed significant emphasis on

registrants:

• Making good decisions about their CPD based on effective planning

and reflection

• Undertaking CPD that achieves learning outcomes that reflect the

GDC’s Standards

• Embedding CPD into their professional life and

• Giving the GDC regular assurance of your CPD activity in order to

reassure the public

CPD consultation findings

Based on 387 responses:

• 77.5% agreed with the introduction of

annual mandatory CPD declarations

• 83% agreed with proposed new minimum

hours CPD by professional group

• 64.5% agreed with the introduction of

mandatory annual Personal Development

Plan declarations

CPD consultation findings cont.

• 67% agreed with linking

CPD learning outcomes

to the GDC standards

• 87% would make use of an

improved GDC online

system to manage and

record CPD if it were

developed

GDC Post-Consultation Statement –

What we heard

• Some concerns about quality of CPD

• Proportionate administration

• Personal responsibility for CPD

Some concerns about quality The GDC calls on:

• All CPD providers to ensure they robustly quality assure their CPD

products and services and have effective feedback mechanisms in

place. Quality control is a current legal requirement for verifiable

CPD.

• The dental CPD industry to be proactive in working together to

develop industry-led quality standards to give dental professionals,

as CPD consumers, assurances about their products and services.

• All registrants as consumers of CPD, to make careful choices when

investing time and money in CPD products and services and to

obtain assurances as to the quality and value for money

Opportunities for CPD

providers and commissioners

• Assuring quality of CPD

• CPD industry leadership

• Effective and reliable sources of information

What the GDC will do next…

• Re-drafting the legislation

• Public consultation on legislation

• Awareness raising amongst stakeholders

www.gdc-uk.org

GDC website: www.gdc-uk.org

CPD Review: CPDReview@gdc-uk.org

www.gdc-uk.org

Any questions?