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Principle Nine

Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients' confidence in you and the dental profession

 

Principle Nine

Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients’ confidence in you and the dental profession

 

Learning Material Scenario

Drink driving conviction Drink driving conviction

I was at a dinner party at a friend’s house on Saturday night and stayed overnight. I had to get up quite early the next morning to drive home and I was pulled over by the police on my way home as I was speeding on the motorway. They breathalysed me and found I was over the limit. I have now received a conviction for drink driving.

Should I tell the GDC?

What should you do?

​That’s not the right answer.

Standards 9.1 in Standards for the Dental Team makes clear that you must ensure that your conduct, both at work and in your personal like justifies patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the dental profession. We consider receiving a conviction or caution to be a breach of that standard.

9.3.1 in Standards for the Dental Team states that you must inform the GDC immediately if you are subject to any criminal proceedings anywhere in the world. Our guidance on reporting criminal proceedings provides more detail on what we expect you to tell us about. You must notify us if you have been convicted of a criminal offence.

The caseworkers in our fitness to practise team will consider whether you should be referred to the Investigating Committee for your conviction.

The police have a duty to tell us if you are convicted or cautioned for an offence and if you do not inform us about a conviction and the police do, our fitness to practise team would consider your failure to inform us about your conviction as well as the conviction itself.

You should also check whether you are under a duty to tell your employer.

See recommended course of action

That’s the right answer.

Standards 9.1 in Standards for the Dental Team makes clear that you must ensure that your conduct, both at work and in your personal like justifies patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the dental profession. We consider receiving a conviction or caution to be a breach of that standard.

9.3.1 in Standards for the Dental Team states that you must inform the GDC immediately if you are subject to any criminal proceedings anywhere in the world. Our guidance on reporting criminal proceedings provides more detail on what we expect you to tell us about. You must notify us if you have been convicted of a criminal offence.

The caseworkers in our fitness to practise team will consider whether you should be referred to the Investigating Committee for your conviction.

The police have a duty to tell us if you are convicted or cautioned for an offence and if you do not inform us about a conviction and the police do, our fitness to practise team would consider your failure to inform us about your conviction as well as the conviction itself.

You should also check whether you are under a duty to tell your employer.

​You may well be under a duty to inform your employer and you should check that with them but you also need to tell us.

Standards 9.1 in Standards for the Dental Team makes clear that you must ensure that your conduct, both at work and in your personal like justifies patients’ trust in you and the public’s trust in the dental profession. We consider receiving a conviction or caution to be a breach of that standard.

9.3.1 in Standards for the Dental Team states that you must inform the GDC immediately if you are subject to any criminal proceedings anywhere in the world. Our guidance on reporting criminal proceedings provides more detail on what we expect you to tell us about. You must notify us if you have been convicted of a criminal offence.

The caseworkers in our fitness to practise team will consider whether you should be referred to the Investigating Committee for your conviction.

The police have a duty to tell us if you are convicted or cautioned for an offence and if you do not inform us about a conviction and the police do, our fitness to practise team would consider your failure to inform us about your conviction as well as the conviction itself.

See recommended course of action