​The annual renewal period for dental care professionals (DCPs) opens today. The General Dental Council (GDC) is calling for professionals to check their CPD records to make sure they’ve completed enough hours to meet the minimum requirements for ongoing registration.

In addition to paying the annual retention fee and making their indemnity statement by July 31, professionals need to make sure they make a compliant CPD statement on time, including having completed at least 10 hours of CPD over the last two years. With more than 3,000 DCPs falling foul of at least one of the CPD rules last year, the regulator is keen to highlight the requirements.

There are three steps to completing annual renewal. For DCPs these are:

  • Pay the annual retention fee by July 31.
  • Make an indemnity statement by July 31.
  • Complete the required amount of CPD by July 31 and go on to make an annual or end of cycle CPD statement by August 28.

Gurvinder Soomal, GDC chief operating officer, said “The vast majority of dental care professionals complete all aspects of their registration renewal every year without any complications. But last year, more than 3,000 did not meet the requirements for CPD for reasons unrelated to Covid-19.

“Keeping up with professional development is an essential part of being a healthcare professional but there are also immediate practical impacts of not making a compliant CPD statement for the individual and their dental team, as non-compliance can interrupt their ability to practice. It takes just a few minutes to check your CPD record to make sure you have done enough – and if you find out now that you need to do more, you have enough time to put it right before the end of July.”

The GDC is also reminding DCPs of the need to meet minimum CPD requirements following two years of flexibility - supporting those who may have found it difficult to access CPD during the pandemic.

The GDC provides more information about annual renewal and CPD on its website.

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