What to do if worried about a colleague's professional performance and how to go about setting up an in-house complaints procedure are two of the issues covered in new draft guidance from the General Dental Council (GDC). The GDC is calling for views on two new pieces of guidance for dental professionals – 'Principles of raising concerns' and 'Principles of complaints handling'.

The documents, currently in draft, will be published next Spring and will support the GDC's core guidance for the dental team, 'Standards for dental professionals'.

The Council says that dental professionals have a duty to take action if they are worried that a colleague's health, conduct or performance, or the clinical environment, might be putting patients at risk. It hopes that its draft guidance, 'Principles of raising concerns' should encourage dental professionals to raise such matters, giving advice on what to do - when to act locally and when to involve the GDC - and points to other organisations which can offer help and advice.

It adds that draft guidance, 'Principles of complaints handling', should help dental professionals resolve complaints at a local level. It sets out good practice in complaints handling and provides a helpful checklist to refer to when setting up and running a complaints procedure.

The two draft guidance documents are posted on the GDC website at www.gdc-uk.org and the GDC is inviting comments. Please send your views and suggestions to Robin Newman – email: rnewman@gdc-uk.org or write to Standards Consultation, General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ. The closing date for responses is Friday 9 December 2005.