Julian Perry looks back on the demands that shaped the growth of Densura – and how the company continues to respond to clinicians’ changing indemnity needs.
Ten years has passed quickly since we launched Densura.
I was still a clinical director and along with my co-founders, we recognised the frustrations I and many of my colleagues experienced from the mutuals we were members of.
As any dentist can verify, there is nothing more stressful than being reported to the General Dental Council (GDC), a process that can last for as long as four years.
We felt that if we could reduce the time in which a complaint was dealt with, we would be able to reduce the number that went to litigation. This is why it was so important that one of our 12 dental advisors typically responded within four to 12 hours.
From our own experience, we knew that most patients just wanted their complaints recognised. When a mistake had been made it was acknowledged, an apology was made, and mistakes were fixed.
As dentists, we wanted to know that any mutual would not be discretionary but, should the need arise, defend us in court, protecting our professional integrity when we were without fault.
Experience has shown that although a patient may not be happy with an outcome, when they are at least dealt with quickly and with empathy, complaints don’t need to escalate. This is why the majority of our cases are resolved within 12 to 24 hours.
Bespoke indemnity
Our ethos has remained the same over our 10 years. Densura is about working with our members and deciding how to proceed together. We provide a bespoke indemnity programme that ensures we respond to and assess the complaint immediately, and take the appropriate course of action as quickly as possible.
And, of course, if our members are without fault, we will defend them through the courts.
Of course, we recognise that we provide a service that our members hope they never have to draw on. And so do we. We don’t want our members to experience unhappy patients, which is why all members now get access to iConsentu, a groundbreaking digital consent app, included with their policy.
Valid consent is about communicating to a patient sufficiently enough for them to make an informed decision. iConsentu outlines the benefits and risks of any given procedure through an easy-to-digest animated video, and then tests patients’ understanding through an engaging Q&A section before allowing the patient to submit consent. iConsentu is just one of the many partner benefits available to our members.
Future focused
It’s been an exciting and busy 10 years, where we’ve established an industry-leading indemnity cover by dentists, for dentists. And that’s just the beginning. The future is about focusing on prevention. We’ve seen how advancements in treatment and technology have helped the profession experience better patient outcomes.
Now it’s about continuing the adoption of new technologies, including the advances we’ve seen in AI, to help our members provide the best possible dental care to the patient.
After all, where there’s a happy patient, there’s a happy dentist.
For more information, visit www.densura.com.
