College of General Dentistry News

College Council elections – call for candidates

Elections are due to be held for a number of seats on the Council of the College of General Dentistry, and all eligible members are invited to consider standing.

These are exciting times in the development of the College, and this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved and contribute at a national level. 

The Council is the voice of our members.  It oversees our role as a professional body and guides the Trustee Board on the development of the College to fulfil its mission.

As a Council member, you would provide leadership, strategic input and direction in all the professional affairs of the College.  You would be helping to shape key moments in the College’s growth and could get also involved in specific initiatives on areas such as careers, policy and standards.

Elections are taking place this year for the following seats: 

  • Yorkshire & Northern
  • Central London
  • Wessex & Oxford
  • East of Scotland
  • West & North of Scotland
  • Overseas representative
  • National representative 

Time commitment

If successfully elected, you would serve a three-year term, from June 2022 – June 2025, during which you would attend three face-to-face Council meetings each year (typically on a Friday morning) as well as other regular online meetings and committees (normally outside of business hours).

Your first Council meeting would be on Friday 24 June in Cardiff. 

You would also be able to vote, and eligible to stand, in the annual election of two Vice Presidents, and the triennial election of a College President.

You would be able to stand for re-election in 2025, and individuals may serve up to three elected terms (i.e. nine years) on the Council.

Eligibility

All Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows of the College, regardless of their team role, are eligible to nominate themselves for election providing they meet the criteria for the relevant seat(s):

  • Candidates for regional seats must live or work within that region, and be registered with that region with CGDent
  • Candidates for the national seat must live or work in the UK, and have a registered UK address with CGDent
  • Candidates for the overseas seat must practice dentistry wholly outside the UK, and have a registered overseas address with CGDent 

If you are a UK member, you may apply for both the national seat and a regional seat. If you were the only candidate for one of the seats, you would be deemed to be elected or re-elected to that seat, and your name withdrawn from the election to the other seat. If there was a ballot for both seats, and you received the most votes in each, you would be deemed to be elected to the regional seat first, and your name withdrawn from the national seat.  (Exceptions to this may apply, for example if one or more candidates for the national seat withdrew from the process).  

If you are an Associate Member considering upgrading your membership in order to stand for election or to vote, or a non-member considering joining, you will need to allow at least two weeks ahead of the relevant date(s) below for this process to complete.

Interested? 

All eligible members as of 14 March 2022 have been emailed a link to the nominations website by the College’s election services provider, Mi-Voice.

If you are interested in standing for election, please complete the nomination process via that link, where you will be asked for further information, and to submit an election statement.

You will also be required to provide the names of two supporters of your application who themselves must be Full Members, Associate Fellows or Fellows of the College. If you are unsure of the membership status of potential supporters, please consult our Member Register. 

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS 23:59 ON TUESDAY 19 APRIL 2022 

Key Dates 

Tuesday 19 April 2022 23:59       Nominations close

Thursday 21 April 2022 12:00     Deadline for receipt of referee support

w/c 25 April 2022                        Voting opens

Friday 27 May 2022 23:59           Voting closes

Wednesday 1 June 2022             Results announced

Useful Documents 

Council Member Role Description 

Further Information 

If you think you might like to put yourself forward as a candidate and wanted further information, we would be pleased to have a confidential discussion and answer any questions about the role and the process. Please get in touch via [email protected]

A map showing the regions covered by the regional seats of the College can be downloaded here. If you are unsure which CGDent region you are in, contact us via [email protected] 

The role is voluntary, but we do cover essential expenses. 

Technical problems 

If you experience technical difficulties submitting your nomination, please contact Mi-Voice by emailing [email protected] or calling 02380 763987. 

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College of General Dentistry News

The College recruits for an Advisory Strategy Group to guide its development

The College of General Dentistry is recruiting an Advisory Strategy Group, seeking contributions from across the dental team. This is an important opportunity for people across the Registrant community to make an active contribution, guiding the future direction of the College. 

The Group will play a crucial role in advising the Board of Trustees as they make plans to launch the College. The Group’s 15 members, who will have first-hand experience working across the dental team, will provide much-needed insight into the ideas, perspectives and priorities of people working in dentistry. 

Chair of Trustees, Prof Nairn Wilson, said:  “This is an exciting moment for the College, a step closer to its formal launch, and a mark of our commitment to embrace the interests and contributions of the whole dental team. We believe that a lack of diversity in leadership and influence in dentistry is a barrier to effectiveness – and we want our Advisory Strategy Group to draw upon strengths across the many communities that have such an important role to play for the future.”

Applications close on August 21st, with interviews planned in early September. Details can be found at https://wp.me/P8ZZcL-tx

College of General Dentistry News

Trustees sought

Help us create a new Royal College for dentistry

Closing date 30 June 2019

Trustees are being sought for the new College of General Dentistry, which is currently being established with a vision to cultivate excellence in oral healthcare.

We will achieve this by fostering a strong and trusted professional community of practice, serving patients and public.  We will establish evidence-based guidance and standards for dentistry, and foster higher quality practice through education and training, career development and lifelong learning for dental professionals. Our work will build on the achievements of FGDP(UK), which is planned to transfer to the new College.

We aim to pursue a Royal Charter, elevating the standing of general dentistry alongside its medical professional peers.

This is consequently an exciting time for talented dentists to join us. You will help us to establish and shape the development of the new College – reflecting the interests of a diverse and dynamic profession. These are significant roles at a critical moment in developing the new College, and a momentous time for the Faculty and the wider profession.

We need dentist trustees to contribute to the development of the values of the organisation, demonstrating high standards of behaviour and attitude, reflecting the inclusive professionalism that we seek to embody. You will also be expected to contribute to effective custodianship of the organisation and have the ability to contribute effectively to the delivery of our ambitions, both as critical friend and, in the early stages of development, and as an active contributor to the task ahead. That might involve being an advocate for the new College in a variety of dental fora, advising on the development of the clinical quality to which we aspire, and shaping our thinking on the opportunities ahead.

We also need people who are commercially-minded, recognising the business imperatives that stand behind the delivery of our overall mission in the patient and public interest. We seek effective influencers, people able to coach, guide and support; people who will enable the College to build a strong position in an established professional and political environment.

We are particularly interested in attracting people who can help us to engage widely within the profession, amongst dentists at all stages of their career, and with a wide range of backgrounds and aspirations. The proportion of women and BAME dentists on the Register is growing and we want our trustee body to be truly inclusive and reflective of our community. We therefore welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and a wide range of perspectives.

A profile for the role of Dental Trustee is available here.

Applications (by CV and covering letter, which should address the requirements described in the role profile, citing two references) must be received by 30 June 2019, addressed to [email protected]. Prospective candidates are advised that interviews are planned to be held in early July in London. To be eligible, you must be a Full Member or Fellow of FGDP(UK) at the time of appointment. If you would like to know more, please contact Simon Thornton-Wood, Director of FGDP via [email protected] for a confidential discussion and guidance on the application process. Please note that this is a re-advertisement and earlier applicants need not reapply.