In response to news that UCL Consultants Limited have been chosen to manage the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), the Association of Groups (ADG) is hopeful that this signals the dawn of the significant improvements needed to make the system fit for purpose. The General Dental Council’s (GDC) outdated ORE system has caused a massive bottleneck of trained international dentists trying to take the exam – along with frustrations for those individuals seeking to register.
However, concerns were heightened following the ADG Conference at which the GDC announced anticipated increases per sitting, which are still felt by ADG members not to be enough to fill the massive gap in the dental workforce. The ADG understands that the exact details are still to be finalised, but even a doubling of ORE Part 1 places is inadequate.
Neil Carmichael, Executive Chair, Association of Dental Groups said:
“It is concerning to hear of the modest ambition of places per sitting for the ORE. We have over 2,700 dentist vacancies currently, and natural attrition in dentistry has to be factored in too. So, allowing a still very limited number of international trained dentists to register for the exam is not going to plug the gap in our dental workforce quickly enough to help with the immediate-term patient access crisis.
“The ADG would welcome the opportunity to share our members’ insights with UCL Consultants as they take over the ORE management role. UCL has an excellent international reputation and I was proud to accept the role awarded to me of Honorary Professor of Practice at UCL Global Business School for Health & UCL Institute for Education earlier this year. However, the success of UCL Consultants is dependent on the new ORE process being fit for purpose. We are being inundated with messages from weary applicants, and want to see them treated properly during the registration process.
“The GDC presented workforce data to our audience recently at the ADG Conference in Wales and our members’ are asking for reassurance on the accuracy of the numbers. To reflect the full gaping hole in the dental workforce currently, we must see figures based on full-time equivalent dentists. We didn’t see recognition of the number of dentists who are working part-time versus full-time, which skews the data. The dental workforce crisis is real, and no reworking of the figures is going to change the reality our members are experiencing at the ‘coal-face’. The ADG has repeated and repeated and repeated – time and time again – that to help alleviate the shortage of dentists in the immediate term, we must allow more international dentists to take on the challenge of the rigorous ORE exam.”
Neil Carmichael added:
“I want to see the GDC’s plan to address the ORE bottleneck which was due to be presented to Stephen Kinnock in October. It is now November and it is late. Our members, frustrated dentists and long-suffering patients are still waiting.”
Ends
For further information contact: ADG Director of Communications & Membership
Kate Clark | kate@kateclarkpr.co.uk | kate.clark@theadg.co.uk | 07990 525639
Notes to editors:
Read more: About the Association of Dental Groups (ADG)
Read more: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/dental-workforce/