Facing economic realities at the General Dental Council

An often quoted description of professionalism I like is 'doing the right thing even when no one is looking'. We all have professional responsibilities; some are easier to meet than others, but being a professional is all about trust. Richard Emms as chair of this year's LDC conference put it very movingly: 'It's a great privilege to metaphorically take a patient by the hand (CRB and ISA checks permitting of course) and lead them through an agreed treatment plan, and it's why patients stay with us because they trust us to inform them and to do the right thing.' And that describes how most of the profession - my profession - behaves. But who can forget the big show of hands during the sessions at both the BDA and LDC conferences when Phil Hammond asked if the audience knew a fellow dentist they wouldn't want as their own and that most of the hands stayed up when he asked if we perhaps knew more than one colleague we wouldn't recommend? But we take no action. We all have pride in our profession, but we all know colleagues who may be letting that profession down. This is reflected in the increase in the GDC's Fitness to Practise caseload.