Dentists with criminal convictions

The request was successful.

Dear General Dental Council,

In light of dentist David Coutts of Lambert and Coutts, Hartlepool
being sentenced for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving I request the following information:

1) how many dentists registered with the GDC have criminal
convictions?

2) how many of these relate to the deaths of others?

3) does the GDC have a policy regarding the suitability of such
persons continuing to work with the public (including children and
vulnerable persons) after their conviction?

4) have any staff at Lambert and Coutts lost their GDC registration
in the last 5 years?

5) Did the GDC pay any of the legal costs relating to the case R v
Coutts mentioned above?

Yours faithfully,

George Foxley

Freedom of Information Requests, General Dental Council

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References

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Gareth Llewellyn (020 7009 2774), General Dental Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Foxley

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request of 30 November 2013.
Your request has been forwarded to me for my attention.

 

I should like to respond to each of the requests that you have made.

 

1         The General Dental Council (GDC) requests disclosure of any
criminal conviction at the point of entry to the GDC’s register and takes
such information into consideration when determining whether the applicant
is suitable to enter on to the register. We also receive notifications of
convictions after an individual is registered, either through individual
notifications to the GDC or as advised by the police in accordance with
guidance in relation to notifiable occupations. We consider all
convictions in accordance with our rules and procedures to decide whether,
and if so what, action may be necessary.

 

I am able to provide you with the following figures which relate to
convictions declared at the point of registration or restoration to the
register where the individual in question was then registered or restored
to the register as a dentist:

 

Year Number of successful applications
2006 7
2007 6
2008 6
2009 2
2010 13
2011 3
2012 9
2013 to date 7

 

I should make it clear that due to the way in which the information set
out in the table above is recorded we are not able to disclose whether the
dentists counted are registered at this present time.

 

I am also able to provide you with the information that we hold in
relation to convictions relating to dentists who have been convicted
subsequent to their entry or re-entry to our register, and who are
currently registered with us. There are, as at 4 December 2013, 73
dentists who are registered with us against whom a conviction has been
recorded.

 

2         We record the details of criminal convictions which are reported
to us in order to ensure that we take any action that is considered to be
appropriate. Although this information is recorded, I am afraid that it is
not recorded in a way that will allow us to report on this information. I
am therefore unable to provide you with the information that you seek.

 

3         There is no overarching policy as such in relation to the
suitability of registrants who have been convicted continuing to work with
the public. We assess each case on an individual basis and decide whether
it is appropriate to take any action in order to safeguard the public. We
also have guidance and criteria which are used when deciding whether it is
necessary to refer a registrant to the Disclosure and Barring Service and
Disclosure Scotland in accordance with the Vetting and Barring Scheme and
Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme respectively.

 

4         I am afraid that we are not able to answer the question that you
have asked about the potential loss of registration of any staff employed
at Lambert and Coutts in Hartlepool in the last five years. The reason for
this is that we register individual dentists and dental care
professionals, rather than practices per se. If you should wish to check
the status of any named registrant on our register, you are welcome to do
so at any time at [1]www.gdc-uk.org

 

5         The GDC did not pay any of the legal costs relating to the
criminal case that you mention. Our remit is to consider concerns about
the fitness to practise of registrants, and our procedures are separate
from the criminal justice system. As stated above, we routinely receive
notifications of convictions arising out of criminal cases, and then
decide whether the conviction is such to potentially impair the
registrant’s fitness to practise.

 

I hope that the above is of assistance.

 

If you are unhappy with this response or the way the GDC has handled your
request for information, you can request a review by writing to:

 

Chief Executive and Registrar

General Dental Council

37 Wimpole Street

London  W1G 8DQ

 

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint,
you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

 

The Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45

Website: [2]www.ico.gov.uk

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Regards.

 

Gareth Llewellyn

Casework Support Manager

General Dental Council

                                               

T: 020 7009 2774          

E: [email address]         

W: www.gdc-uk.org

                       

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From: Mujtaba Khan (020 7344 3712)
Sent: 03 December 2013 12:01
To: Gareth Llewellyn (020 7009 2774)
Subject: FW: Freedom of Information request
Importance: High

 

 

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