Jo Phillpott, DPAS Regional Support Manager, looks at the best ways a practice can look after their patients and help to fulfil their needs after 18 months of uncertainty…
The heartbeat of any dental practice is its patients. And, over the last 18 months, thousands of patients have stuck by their practices and continued paying their monthly plans despite, for a time, not being able to see their dentist.
It’s a testament to the patients for their loyalty, but also to the practices for the quality of the service they provide.
Now we’re edging ever closer to a new normal and seeing greater relaxing of restrictions, here are three top tips you can use to keep fulfilling your patients’ needs…
Showing gratitude towards your patients
When practices shut in March last year, many were left concerned about their finances and sustaining their monthly cash flow to pay their overheads.
Patient loyalty, more than ever, became the most important thing. With the vast majority of patients choosing to continue paying for their monthly plans, that vital financial lifeline was maintained, ensuring practices still had a steady stream of income during those months when the doors were closed.
Practices have gone above and beyond in finding ways to thank their patients for their support – a simple ‘thank you’ really can go a long way in helping to keep building and maintaining those relationships with patients. Demonstrating your thanks doesn’t have to come in grand gestures.
It may be when you call them to check in or to confirm an appointment that you take the opportunity to thank them for their support over the last year. Or, if the practice sends out an e-newsletter to plan patients, you can attach a message thanking them for their loyalty.
Keep communicating
Back in February, when the country was in the third lockdown, it was announced that patients, especially those on the NHS, could be expecting up to a two-year wait for a routine dental appointment, and that came as little surprise to the profession.
Since then, practices have been able to welcome more patients through the doors as the country comes through the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown. However, practices are still not back to pre-Covid levels, which may cause a bit of confusion for patients who are struggling to book an appointment.
The best thing to do in this situation to reduce any patient confusion is to communicate regularly with them on the latest developments and keep them up to date on how you are steadily increasing the number of patients you can see and how you are achieving this.
Now other restrictions have been fully relaxed, many patients may be thinking the dental profession is back to normal, however, it is important to keep communicating with them and explaining how you may not return to pre-Covid levels for a while.
Be open about all your options
Many practices will have all their patients on plan, in which case they will have been able to manage their waiting lists a little more easily than a mixed practice or a fully NHS practice.
NHS waiting lists are going to remain lengthy for quite some time, and many patients will be faced with a decision over whether to remain with the NHS or move to private.
If you have a mixed practice and your NHS patients are becoming frustrated by not being able to get a timely appointment, then it’s good to communicate with those patients and explain all the other private options you have available.
By doing that, you’re being open and transparent about the options you have available, and you’re leaving it down to the patient to decide whether they want to wait on the NHS list, or make the move to private.
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