The dental payment plan provider surveyed 5,000 British customers, finding the most common reason (39 per cent of participants) was customers seeking to access dental services faster. A similar number (38 per cent) expressed a lack of access to NHS dental, with a further 34 per cent wanting access to treatments that are not available on the NHS.
Denplan said that coupled with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2024 report that revealed a “critical shift in public expectations” surrounding healthcare, its report highlighted a growing feeling that customers can no longer count on the NHS to provide a universal service that is free at the point of delivery. Denplan believes that this is due to some NHS services being difficult to access.
The provider said dentistry businesses need to be prepared for the oncoming customer increase as more people turn to private healthcare options.
Communication is the key
Sophie Kynnersley, transformation director at Cymphony, a leading healthcare communications provider, said dental practices are unprepared to handle the influx of patients or their expectations. She said, “Whilst more and more patients are turning away from NHS services, their standards and expectations for premium care only increase when considering private healthcare options. As patients are preparing to pay the extra costs for access to healthcare, they also expect the standards to be worth premium prices.
“This is where some dental practices are currently failing. Whilst they may have the premium healthcare professionals on standby to accommodate the increase in patients, sadly their communication and administrative lines are lacking by comparison. Healthcare businesses need to understand their infrastructure is just as important to upgrade when it comes to attracting and retaining new healthcare customers.”
Sophie highlighted that problems in patient communications arise from simple-to-fix administration issues and a lack of customer service skills. These are issues currently caused by overwhelming office administrators or a lack of trained professionals ready to handle incoming enquiries.
She added, “For customers, simplicity is integral and cannot be overlooked when it comes to booking at a new practice. They want to be able to trust that they’ve made the right choice, so a seamless onboarding process is needed from a communications team that can provide that human touch and understanding at every stage. With so much new information being fed to the customer, coupled with the stresses and anxieties they may be experiencing at the time, care is key.
“For something as personal as teeth – which patients may feel insecure about – it’s important that care is provided in an approachable, customer-friendly way. Patients are already feeling let down by NHS options, so providing a reliable service they can trust is important rather than kicking them while they’re down further.”
Sophie concluded, “When it comes to private dental care in the UK, businesses have a great opportunity for growth as more and more consider options away from the NHS. However, dental practices will fail to capitalise on this growing opportunity if they haven’t considered choosing the right communications to complement their services.”