GDC publishes 2024 Fitness to Practise statistical report

The General Dental Council (GDC) has published its annual Fitness to Practise (FtP) statistical report for 2024.

The report, which breaks down fitness to practise cases by a range of EDI characteristics, including ethnicity, shows that 1,401 new concerns were received during 2024, representing an 8% increase compared to the previous year. Of these concerns, 88% were resolved at assessment and case examiner stages, with only 12% progressing to a practice committee hearing.

In total, the GDC completed 1,294 assessments during 2024, a 10% decrease from 2023, reflecting a reduced caseload in this area during the year.

The number of Practice Committee initial hearings held also decreased by 18%, from 91 in 2023 to 73 in 2024.

The GDC said, on its website:

“Our report shows meaningful improvements in case handling efficiency, with 76% of cases meeting assessment timeframe targets in Q4 2024. Additional resources added to the Case Examiners team in the third quarter of 2024 are expected to clear the backlog of older cases by mid-2025.”

The report also shows that patients and members of the public remain the primary source of concerns, accounting for 61% of cases received, up from 59% in 2023. There has been a continued increase in referrals from dental professionals, rising to 9% in 2024 from 8% in 2023 and 6% in 2022.

Theresa Thorp, Executive Director of Regulation at the GDC, said:

“Our annual statistical report provides insights into our fitness to practise processes and outcomes. The data helps us understand trends and patterns in concerns raised about dental professionals, which in turn informs our regulatory approach.

“This year’s report continues our commitment to transparency in presenting robust data that can benefit the wider dental sector. We’re focused on using this data to help us identify any issues of discrimination, bias or racism in the reporting or referral of concerns to us.” 

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