At BDA Indemnity, we frequently receive calls relating to alcohol and driving during the festive period. We understand the need to have a private life but, as a registered dentist, the implications of being stopped by the police is far greater than for other members of the public and it may trigger a requirement to notify the GDC.
One question we are often asked is, 'Why is the GDC interested in my personal life?' As the regulator, the GDC has three interests when considering the fitness to practise of its registrants; is the registrant a danger to themselves, a danger to the public and do they present a risk to the reputation of the profession or to the public confidence in dental registrants? The GDC Registrar will have to consider whether there is an allegation that a registrant's fitness to practise is impaired. In a drink driving case, this would be by reason of the grounds for the conviction or caution as set out in the Dentists Act.
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