The National Health Service (Vocational Training for General Dental Practice) (Scotland) Regulations 2004

Applications for vocational training numbers

2.—(1) An application for a vocational training number shall be made in writing to the Board and–

(a) shall state that the dentist has also made an application under regulation 5(1) of the 1996 Regulations (application for inclusion in the dental list) for inclusion in Part A of the dental list and shall–

(i) specify the Health Board to which that application has been made; and

(ii) state the date on which it was made; and

(b) shall either–

(i) state that the dentist has completed vocational training satisfactorily and be accompanied by the dentist’s vocational training certificate;

(ii) state that the experience or training which the dentist has acquired ought to be regarded as equivalent to vocational training and that that experience or training has been completed within the last 5 years and be accompanied by written details of that experience or training; or

(iii) state that the dentist is exempt from the requirement to have completed vocational training on one of the grounds set out in paragraph (3) and be accompanied by written details in support of that statement.

(2) For the purpose of paragraph (1)(b)(ii) experience or training shall not be prevented from being equivalent to vocational training merely because the structure of the experience does not comply exactly with the definition of vocational training.

(3) A dentist is exempt from the requirement to have completed vocational training if that dentist–

(a) is registered by virtue of section 15(1)(b)(2) or (2A)(3) of the Dentists Act 1984 (qualification for registration in the dentists register) or is in any other way a person in respect of whom an EEA State is prohibited by Community law from imposing such a requirement;

(b) has had their name included in a dental list in the United Kingdom (other than in Part B only of a dental list in Scotland) within the period of five years ending on the date of the application by that dentist to be included in the dental list; or

(c) has practised in primary dental care in either the community dental service or the regular forces or has performed personal dental services in connection with a pilot scheme for a period amounting in aggregate to not less than four years full-time employment (or part-time employment of equivalent duration), and has so practised for not less than four months in full-time employment (or part-time employment of equivalent duration) within the period of four years ending with the date of application by that dentist under paragraph (1).

(4) An application for a vocational training number shall be granted by the Board if–

(a) a vocational training certificate has been issued to the applicant, following satisfactory completion of vocational training;

(b) the applicant has, in the opinion of the Board, acquired experience or completed training which ought to be regarded as equivalent to satisfactory completion of vocational training; or

(c) the applicant is exempt from the requirement to have completed vocational training on one of the grounds set out in paragraph (3).

(5) If the Board determines to grant an application for a vocational training number it shall–

(a) allocate to the applicant a vocational training number;

(b) notify the applicant of that number within 14 days of the determination; and

(c) enter that number against the name of the applicant in a register kept for that purpose.

(6) Once a vocational training number has been allocated either under these Regulations or the 1996 Regulations, it will cease to be valid if the dentist concerned does not for any continuous period of 5 years commencing on or after the date of commencement of these Regulations provide general dental services.

(7) If the Board does not allocate a vocational training number to the applicant, it shall within 10 days of that decision, send to the applicant a notice to that effect together with a statement setting out the reasons why it has not done so and telling the applicant about the right to appeal to the Appeal Body, the time limit for appeals specified in regulation 5(1) and giving the address to which an appeal must be sent.

(1)

Regulation 5 was amended by S.S.I. 1999/51, regulation 2, 2000/188, regulation 4, 2001/368, regulation 2.

(2)

Section 15(1)(b) was amended by S.I. 1996/1496, regulation 2(1).

(3)

Section 15(2A) was inserted by S.I. 1996/1496, regulation 2(2).