Day in the Life
My working week is split into part time teaching of dental hygienists and dental therapists and part time clinical work at my own independent dental hygiene practice. I saw doing the IC as an opportunity to do something completely different in my working life. I have only done it for the last three years, but it has been an extremely positive experience and one that has given me a greater knowledge of the workings of my profession and the GDC.
The IC is the first arm of the GDC fitness to practise procedures - essentially it decides if there is a case to be heard against the registrant. The committee is made up of dental registrants and lay people (always a lay chair with at least one other lay member and at least two dental members). As a group they can decide on a range of outcomes, ranging from deciding that no further action need be taken to referral to a conduct committee that could ultimately erase the registrant from the dental register. Decisions and reasonings made by the committee are carefully documented and are kept on file.