DDU responds to GDC report on deaths by suicide during investigations

The GDC has published its first report looking at dental professionals who died while undergoing a fitness to practise investigation.

It has sadly shown that there were 20 deaths of registrants between 2019 to 2022 of which between one and three were confirmed as by suicide.

John Makin, head of the Dental Defence Union (DDU) welcomed the publication of the report. He said:

“DDU members tell us that undergoing a GDC investigation is one of the most difficult experiences of their professional lives. The stress of being under scrutiny is unsettling for anyone but it is particularly traumatic for dental professionals who have to face a lengthy and potentially career-limiting process.

“We welcome the steps the GDC has taken, as detailed in the report, to lessen the impact of its investigations but we continue to maintain that more must be done. We must reduce delays in investigations. One death of a colleague due to the stress of a fitness to practise investigation is a death too many. We must all play our part in supporting colleagues with the strains of practice.

“The GDC has been able to make limited reforms to improve its fitness to practise procedures, such as piloting the use of initial inquiries and improved training for its staff. However, it is constrained by outdated legislation when it comes to making the process fast, fair and non-adversarial.

“We are still waiting for legislation to see the light of day for the reform of dental regulation. For every week that passes, there will be more dental professionals having to deal with an unnecessarily lengthy and damaging investigation. The welfare of dental professionals must be a priority for the government.”

The MDU, the parent company of the DDU, has urged the government to prioritise regulatory reform as part of an Agenda for Change.