3. Stop, escalate, do not improvise

A professional no

If you are asked to do something outside your title, indemnity or competence, say so clearly: “That is not within my scope. I need the dentist / a registered colleague.” It is not rudeness. It is GDC Standard territory: put patients’ interests first.

Pressure

“Just this once” is how wrong-site, wrong-person and unregistered practice happen. Time pressure, a full diary, and a principal who snaps do not enlarge your register entry. Raise it afterwards if the culture is the problem (see Raising Concerns).

Record the boundary

If you decline a task, a short contemporaneous note (who asked, what, why you declined, who took over) protects the patient and you. Do not write a novel in the waiting room WhatsApp.

Team design

Practices should map who may take radiographs, apply fluoride varnish, give local anaesthetic, and take impressions — against current GDC wording, training logs and indemnity. Review when someone leaves. Do not leave the map in a drawer from 2016.

Always follow the current GDC Scope of Practice for your title and your indemnity wording.