I have recently come across this article: https://www.the-dentist.co.uk/content/news/gdc-pays-damages-after-unlawful-under-guise-operation. It talks about how the GDC recently paid out to a CDT (clinical dental tech) after an admission to Dental Protection that they acted 'unlawfully in undertaking an under-guise operation without reasonable justification', investigating an anonymous complaint that the CDT was working without registration.
The regulators posed as relatives of 'Evelyn', an elderly relative who needed dentures but was too ill to attend. GDC stopped further action after the Interim Orders committee concluded any evidence as flawed and unfair. They had breached the CDT's rights (Article 8 Human Rights, Data Protection Act 1998 and 2018). A shocking freedom of Information request found that they spent a minimum of £15,400 on covert investigations in 2017.
For me, this new information is invasive, unfair and a little concerning. A scenario was used to trigger an emotional response and see if the registrant acts outside of the scope of practice. Whilst the GDC may need to carry out investigations to carry out its function, dental care professionals need to know that any investigations on them have a real-life basis and are not based on farce situations, with people actively seeking to gather evidence against them.
This calls for the GDC to clarify future policy and underlines the need for change.
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