Purpose of the Role

The Lay Member provides independent oversight and a patient-centred perspective to the governance, quality assurance and continuous improvement of the Dental Specialty Fellow Examinations and MFDS examinations.

The role exists to:

• ensure that public and patient interests are considered in examination policy and decision-making;
• support confidence in the fairness, transparency and integrity of dental postgraduate assessment; and
• act as a constructive critical friend to the Committee, Chair and the Dental Examinations Executive.

Key Responsibilities

The Lay Member will:

• Attend and contribute to meetings of the Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations /MFDS Executive Committees (and sub-groups as appropriate).
• Provide an independent lay perspective on matters relating to:
  • examination governance and quality assurance
  • candidate experience and fairness
  • equality, diversity and inclusion
  • reasonable adjustments and mitigating circumstances
  • complaints and appeals processes (where appropriate).
• Scrutinise papers and supporting information in advance of meetings and contribute thoughtfully to discussion and decision-making.
• Support the Committee in ensuring that examination processes align with:
  • best practice in postgraduate assessment
  • regulatory expectations
  • public and patient confidence.
• Participate in short-life working groups or review activity as required (e.g. policy development, QA reviews, or candidate feedback themes).
• Engage in induction, training and periodic review of the role.

The Lay Member does not participate in:

• question writing or marking
• examiner appointment decisions
• operational delivery of examinations.

Time Commitment

• Typically 2–4 meetings per year, plus preparation time.
• Occasional additional meetings or papers for specific reviews or working groups.