Don’t forget to pay your ARF, submit your CPD hours, and indemnity confirmation to the GDC!
Every year at Dental Protection, we hear from members who are threatened by the GDC with administrative erasure from the dental register because they have either not kept up with their Continuing Professional Development or have not logged it with the GDC.
This strange year
Even in this very strange and unsettling year, the GDC will still require confirmation that dental registrants are indemnified and up to date with their CPD. It’s currently the turn of the dentists to submit this information either by logging it on the GDC’s eGDC webpages or by returning the paper annual renewal form sent to all dentist registrants by the GDC in November 2020.
Don’t risk administrative erasure
Administrative erasure means that you will not be able to practise as a dentist until you have successfully applied for reinstatement on the register – a time consuming and disruptive process that can be avoided if you act now.
So that you do not risk being removed from the GDC register, please ensure that:.
- Your ARF for 2021 is paid by 31 December 2020
- Complete your indemnity declaration by 31 December 2020
- Your planned CPD activities for the year are completed by 31 December 2020
- You complete your CPD activity declaration for 2020 by 28 January 2021. Even if you have carried out no CPD, or not enough last year, you must still submit your statement.
- If it is the end of your 5 year cycle, you will have additional administrative obligations to comply with. All the information can be found in the GDC’s Enhanced CPD Guidance
Not done your hours?
If you think you have a good reason for not having complied with the CPD requirements at the end of your 5 year cycle, you can apply for a “grace period” of an additional 56 days in which to catch up. You need to apply for this in writing to the GDC by 31 December.
The GDC has also said that it will take into account any exceptional circumstances caused by COVID-19 if you find yourself short of CPD, but don’t assume the GDC will automatically do this. Be ready to provide the evidence of the factors that have affected you.
Looking for additional CPD?
Talking with members through the year, we recognise that the postponement of face to face CPD courses, lectures and workshops may have affected your ability to complete the number of CPD hours you had originally planned.
At the same time, CPD providers, including Dental Protection, have responded to the challenges and produced an extensive range of excellent on-line learning opportunities. The majority of these continue to be available as recorded webinars and interactive learning modules and can be found by logging on to our e-learning platform Prism to access this verifiable CPD.
Key dates
- Before 31 December Make your indemnity declaration by 31 December 2020
- Before 31 December Let the GDC know if you need a “period of grace”
- Before 28 January Make your annual CPD statement by 28 January 2021.