What do you do when a team member’s GDC registration lapses? One thing above all: they must not do any clinical work, from that moment, at all. Practising dentistry while unregistered is a criminal offence under the Dentists Act 1984, it voids their indemnity, and it exposes the practice as well as the individual. Everything else in this guide is about managing the fallout properly.
First: know the deadlines
Dental care professionals (including nurses, hygienists and therapists) renew by 31st July each year, with a 2026 Annual Retention Fee of £108. Dentists renew by 31st December, with a 2026 fee of £698. Miss the deadline and the GDC removes the registrant from the register. If you are reading this in July, check your DCP renewals today.
8am: confirm the position
Check the register on the GDC website, not just the registrant’s word or a payment screenshot. If the name is off the register, treat it as real from that moment. Do not let them see the 9am patient while someone makes phone calls.
8.15am: reorganise the morning
Pull the affected person from all clinical duties. For a nurse, that includes chairside assisting. Reallocate the list between the remaining team, bring in a locum if you can, and only cancel what you genuinely cannot cover. Move the affected person to non-clinical work: decontamination room admin does not count, reception and paperwork do.
9am: start the restoration
Have them contact the GDC about restoration to the register straight away, because restoration is not instant and can take days or longer. They should also notify their indemnity provider. Diarise a daily check of the register until they reappear on it.
The employment questions
You do not have to pay someone their normal clinical wage for clinical work they cannot legally do. Options, in order of goodwill: useful non-clinical duties on normal pay, paid holiday if they prefer, or unpaid leave until restoration. Check what the contract says first. And if the lapse was carelessness rather than a GDC error, a lapse is a fair subject for the disciplinary procedure, because maintaining registration is their professional obligation. A first offence handled with a warning and a prevention plan is usually the proportionate outcome.
Stopping the repeat
Keep a practice register of every registrant’s renewal date, diarise reminders each June and November, make maintaining registration an express contractual duty, and check the register as part of the renewal month routine. Five minutes of admin a year against a closed surgery is the easiest trade in dentistry.
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General guidance for UK employers, correct at 22nd July 2026. Not advice on a specific situation. More guides for your sector: HR for dental practices. Not sure where your gaps are? Check your HR Risk Score in 3 minutes.
