GDC announces departure of Chief Executive

23 October, 2023 / infocus
 Will Peakin  

After nearly eight years leading the General Dental Council (GDC), Ian Brack will be stepping down as Chief Executive and Registrar on 6 November.

In a statement, the regulator said: “Under his leadership the organisation has changed almost beyond recognition, and Ian Brack is leaving having placed the GDC on a sound financial footing and implemented a strong culture of planning and operational delivery.

“The GDC’s Council is soon to confirm the budget and ARF for next year, along with the Costed Corporate Plan for 2024-2026. Having these important decisions settled will be a good point to recruit a new CEO to take the GDC’s priorities into the future. “

Having these important decisions settled will be a good point to recruit a new CEO

The Chief Operating Officer, Gurvinder Soomal, will act as Interim Chief Executive until a new CEO and Registrar is in place.

Earlier this year, Mr Brack appeared before the House of Commons’ Health & Social Care Committee Inquiry into NHS dentistry where he admitted that his office held no information on how much time or work dentists delivered.

He said: “I can tell you that at the end of 2021 there were 43,292 dentists. There were 59,399 dental nurses. There were 4,378 therapists. I do not know if that is actually what the UK needs. I just know that that is what there were. I do not know where they work. I do not know what they are doing. I do not know how many hours they work. That is all I know.”

The admission took MPs by surprise and put ’lack of workforce data’ as an issue at the heart of the dental access crisis.

Lord Toby Harris, the GDC’s Chair, said:  ”I would like to take the opportunity to say that my colleagues on the Council and I have very much enjoyed working with Ian over the years and are grateful for the significant contribution he has made to the GDC.

“I am personally grateful to him for helping me to settle into the role after my appointment as Chair. Both I and my colleagues on the Council wish Ian the very best for the future, and we look forward to working with Gurvinder as interim CEO.”

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