Practice owner Edd Jones discusses how he provides emergency out-of-hours services to his patients over the festive season without any added stress or costs.
Please introduce yourself
My name is Edd Jones and I’m the co-owner of Hartley Dental Practice in Plymouth, which has been the case for just over two years now, with my business partner, Simon Poyner.
We’re going to be talking about the festive season, which, as you know, is a very exciting time of year. But as a practice owner, I can also imagine it comes with its challenges. What challenges do you tend to have over the Christmas and New Year period?
There are a few challenges, really, which I suppose are fairly generic across the industry. The main one is emergency cover and persuading the clinicians that they have to be on call on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and work between Christmas and New Year. So, that’s quite a big challenge for us.
Also, appointment availability is a challenge because we wouldn’t generally open for a whole day. Traditionally, just in case we have emergencies, it would probably be on an on-call basis where it would go through to an on call mobile. The dentist would have to answer it, and then obviously find a nurse to come in with them to the clinic to see the patient, which is quite challenging.
So in that case, what sort of arrangements do you have in place in your practice over the Christmas and New Year period?
We’re very lucky. We have got 24/7 emergency dentists within the practice, and all our emergencies are directed to those guys as they occupy room within the practice, for which they have their own CQC registration etc.
All of our patients who are in pain out-of-hours, so over the Christmas and New Year period, are directed to the service, called the247dentist, and they are seen here at the practice in the surgery that they would normally be seen in, say by Simon, for their routine appointments.
Those guys will see them 24 hours a day (clue’s in the name), we just direct them to an on-call number and the patients are brought in and seen on a need-basis, which is obviously fantastic because it means the benefits are multiple.
One is the patients have got 24/7 access to emergency care over the festive period, which is fantastic for us. It’s a great marketing tool, but it’s also great for the dentist.
For example, Simon, Dimple and Aleks, our dentists, don’t have to be on call, which, for Simon and I as practice owners, is great. When we are recruiting for associate dentists, they’ll say, ‘Why should I come and work at Hartley?’ and one of the first things we will always say is, ‘You’ll never have to be on call. How does that sound?’. They kind of scratch their heads and go, ‘Well, how’s that?’ Then we have the conversation around the247dentist.
So, that service for us has been revolutionary over the last two years since we first engaged with those guys, and it’s been fantastic. With cover over weekends, evenings, and obviously over Christmas and New Year, the service level that we can offer our patients compared to other practices in the area, is now superior, although I’m sure that they are registered with the247dentist as well and send their patients along to see them.
So the benefits are multiple, really.
What benefits does this bring to patients over the Christmas and New Year period?
Availability and accessibility are the two main things, really, and being seen in the practice to which they are accustomed.
Like I said, being seen in the same surgery that they would be seen in for their healthy mouth review with Simon helps because eight out of 10 people get nervous at the dentist to some degree – everything from butterflies to bursting out in tears as they come through the door. So, being seen in a familiar environment is really important for them, and being seen by professional and qualified clinicians is also important.
We pride ourselves here at Hartley on the level of service we offer – fixing the teeth, but also the customer service. And the247dentist seems to have that ethos as well, which fits really well with our own ethos, which is ‘treating you the right way’. And it would appear that the247dentist, and the owners in particular, have got very high standards and want to work to that ethos as well.
So, it’s a nice fit and the patients respond positively to that. And clearly, if a patient has dental pain on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, having a number they can ring to be seen within a couple of hours is just… well, the benefits are obvious. It’s fantastic.
Absolutely. So, why would you recommend the247dentist to other practices?
First and foremost, it’s the communication. For example, Trudy Gordon, the director of operations, is incredibly, incredibly communicative. I have constant communication from those guys about what’s happening and updates on the patients.
Obviously, income is important for the practice, so I suppose having that extra income really helps. But primarily for the patients, I want Hartley to be a cut above the rest. I’m never particularly shy about saying that out loud, as I’m sure people will tell you.
I really want us to be the best practice in the area, and by being able to offer that out of our service that the247dentist offers so well complements what we do so well and creates so much availability for our patients.
I’d never change it now, to be honest.
Wonderful, thank you so much for joining me today, Ed, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
For more information, or if you wish to use the247dentist service for free out-of-hours emergency dental cover, contact [email protected] or call 0330 175 9995.
This article is sponsored by the247dentist.
