Whistleblowing concerns increasingly driving GDC fitness to practise investigations

Overview 

• Whistleblowing disclosures to the GDC rose by 74% in 2026.
• Every disclosure resulted in a fitness to practise case being opened.
• Most concerns were raised by dental professionals working within the profession.
• Conduct issues remained the most common concern reported to the regulator.
• The figures show whistleblowing is becoming an increasingly important route into the GDC’s fitness to practise process.

New figures published by the General Dental Council show a significant increase in whistleblowing disclosures, highlighting how concerns raised by colleagues and others working within dentistry are becoming an increasingly important gateway into the regulator’s fitness to practise process.

According to the GDC’s latest annual whistleblowing disclosures report, 138 whistleblowing disclosures were received between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, representing a 74% increase on the previous year’s figure of 79.

While whistleblowing reports have long formed part of the regulator’s intelligence gathering, the latest figures demonstrate their growing role in generating fitness to practise investigations.

Perhaps the most noteworthy statistic is that every whistleblowing disclosure received by the GDC during the reporting period resulted in the opening of a fitness to practise case.

Of the 138 cases opened, 99 progressed to regulatory action while 39 were closed at the assessment stage because there was insufficient information to take matters further. At the time of reporting, 82 cases remained under assessment, while 17 had already been referred to case examiners. Seven of those cases had progressed to a practice committee hearing.

More concerns from within the profession

The majority of disclosures continued to come from those working within dentistry.

Dental professionals raised 87 concerns, compared with 51 the previous year. A further 29 disclosures came from non-registrants employed within the dental sector. Anonymous reports also increased sharply, rising from six to 22 in a single year.

The increase in anonymous disclosures may indicate that some individuals remain concerned about workplace repercussions, while also suggesting growing awareness of the reporting routes available to those wishing to raise concerns about registrants.

The GDC has suggested that changes to its systems, making it easier for informants to identify themselves as whistleblowers, may have contributed to the increase in disclosures alongside a broader rise in fitness to practise concerns generally.

Conduct concerns dominate

As in previous years, concerns relating to conduct featured heavily in whistleblowing reports.

The report found that conduct issues were raised in 92 of the 138 disclosures received during the reporting period, compared with 54 in the previous year.

This trend is significant because it reinforces a point often overlooked by registrants: fitness to practise concerns are not limited to clinical treatment. Issues involving professional behaviour, integrity, workplace conduct, communication and ethical decision-making can all attract regulatory scrutiny where concerns are raised by colleagues or other individuals working within a dental setting.

What does this mean for registrants?

The latest figures serve as a reminder that concerns raised internally do not always remain internal.

The majority of whistleblowing disclosures continue to originate from within the profession itself, whether from fellow registrants or others employed in dental practices. Once a disclosure reaches the regulator, it is likely to receive formal consideration through the fitness to practise process.

Importantly, the opening of a fitness to practise case does not mean a registrant’s fitness to practise is impaired, nor does it automatically lead to sanctions. However, the data demonstrates that whistleblowing disclosures are increasingly acting as the starting point for regulatory investigations.

For dentists and other GDC registrants, the figures underline the importance of strong professional standards, good workplace culture and effective handling of concerns when they arise. Practices that encourage staff to raise issues internally, address concerns promptly and maintain clear records may be better placed to prevent workplace problems escalating into regulatory matters.

A growing route into fitness to practise

Viewed over time, the latest report suggests whistleblowing is becoming a more prominent feature of the GDC’s fitness to practise landscape.

The sharp rise in disclosures, the increase in reports from dental professionals and the growth in anonymous reporting all point towards greater use of the regulatory whistleblowing framework.

For registrants, the message is clear: concerns raised by colleagues, employees and others within dentistry are increasingly finding their way to the regulator and, in many cases, directly into the fitness to practise process.

As whistleblowing continues to expand as a source of regulatory intelligence, dental professionals may wish to view workplace concerns not simply as employment or management issues, but as matters that could ultimately have fitness to practise implications.