Regulations, CPD and Fitness to Practise

GDC requirements cover registration, CPD, standards of professional conduct and fitness to practise. These duties show that a dental nurse remains safe, up to date, reflective and accountable while registered.

CPD should be linked to workplace practice. Completing courses without reflecting on how they change what you do is insufficient. Practical CPD helps you apply standards, increase confidence, update routines, identify risks and record how learning affects patient care or team systems.

Regulatory expectations include

• Maintaining registration and meeting CPD requirements.
• Keeping knowledge and skills up to date.
• Working within scope, training and competence.
• Being honest in records, CPD declarations and incident reporting.
• Taking action if health, behaviour or performance may affect safety.

Fitness to practise concerns arise from serious or repeated failures in honesty, safety, confidentiality, conduct, competence or from refusing to engage with remediation. Many problems can be addressed early through targeted learning, supervision, support and local governance before they escalate.

CPD evidence and reflection

CPD is most valuable when it changes practice, increases confidence or helps the team meet current standards more reliably.