Dental Professionals Hearings Service determination — substantive hearing
GDC panel suspends dental nurse Charlene Withers for 12 months over dishonesty and conviction
The GDC's Professional Conduct Committee has suspended dental nurse Charlene Pearl Withers for 12 months after finding she dishonestly failed to declare a police caution when registering in 2013 and was convicted in 2024 of failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 7 May 2026 · Updated 9 July 2026
Suspension (suspended from practice) — 1 year
Added to MedicWatch: 9 July 2026Report a correction
What does “suspended from practice” mean?
A suspension is a fixed-term pause on the right to practise. The practitioner cannot work in the regulated profession during the suspension. At the end of the period the suspension may be extended, replaced with another sanction, or lifted on review.
Concerning Charlene Pearl Withers, dental nurse (General Dental Council 245794).
Decision date: 7 May 2026 · Hearing started 5 May 2026 and ended 7 May 2026
In plain English
The GDC tribunal decided that dental nurse Charlene Pearl Withers' fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct and a conviction. The committee found she was convicted in June 2024 of failing to provide a specimen for analysis, and that she dishonestly failed to declare a 2010 police caution on her 2013 registration application. It suspended her registration for 12 months with a review, and imposed an immediate suspension order.
Charges
That on 19 June 2024 she was convicted at South Cumbria Magistrates Court of failing to provide a specimen for analysis (drive or attempting to drive) contrary to s.7(6) of the Road Traffic Act 1988; that on her application form for registration with the General Dental Council dated 16 July 2013 she ticked the box "No" in response to the question asking whether she had been convicted of a criminal offence and/or cautioned; and that this conduct was misleading and dishonest, in that she knew she had received a caution on 18 September 2010 for common assault. All heads of charge were found proved.
Findings
The Committee found all heads of charge proved and determined that Miss Withers' fitness to practise is currently impaired by reason of her conviction and misconduct, on both public protection and public interest grounds. It found her dishonest failure to declare her 2010 police caution when applying for registration struck at the heart of the registration process and deprived the Registrar of the ability to assess whether she was a fit and proper person to be on the register. It imposed a 12-month suspension with a review before expiry, and directed an immediate suspension order.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
The time lapsed since the dishonest conduct (13 years) and no repetition since; the insight, albeit limited, shown in respect of her conviction, as she had reported the matter to the GDC and had pleaded guilty at court.
Aggravating factors
The dishonesty occurred in 2013 and at no time since then did Miss Withers seek to inform the GDC of her police caution; her lack of insight into her dishonest conduct; and her deliberate disregard of the role of the GDC and the systems regulating the professions.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Dental Professionals Hearings Service determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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