Keeping UK patients in the UK - Martin Gilbert

Last year it was reported that the UK has the most expensive dentists in Europe. While the NHS does provide funding for some treatments, it remains the case that many procedures are not supported by the health services – particularly treatments of a cosmetic nature, such as teeth whitening and veneers, which are in high demand at the moment.

It is because of this that dental tourism has seen an increase amongst patients in the UK. Indeed, rather than paying the price of treatment in this country, more and more people are travelling to clinics in Hungary, Poland, Turkey or even India and Thailand to take advantage of the relatively low-cost dentistry they can find there.

In many cases, the quality of treatment patients will receive on their trips abroad will be of a good standard. Indeed, within the EU, there have been efforts made by the Association for Dental Education in Europe to harmonise the standards of dentistry within the Union’s borders. 

Yet on the other hand, there are many examples of patients travelling abroad only to receive treatment that is, at best, second rate and, at the very worst, dangerous. This is particularly true beyond the borders of Europe, where it is hard to control and standardise quality on dental services.

Indeed, one of the main issues for dental tourists is the relative lack of legal protection they have for their overseas treatments. If something should go wrong, there is very little recourse that can be taken to rectify the problem. Indeed, it is often the case that a patient who returns to the UK with questionable foreign dentistry will have no other option but to pay for retreatment in a UK practice. Needless to say, this will incur even greater costs but, more importantly, it could have a longstanding impact on their oral health.

There is also the question of reliable – and safe – equipment. Within the EU, the CE classification is necessary on all equipment and materials, showing that the product is of a certain standard. Beyond the borders of Europe, these sanctions are non-existent, and a patient may be at higher risk of being treated with counterfeit or substandard appliances. Again, if something should happen to a patient on account of faulty or inferior equipment they will be entitled to very little legal protection once they have returned home.

It is therefore very important for UK-based dental professionals to provide options for patients to encourage them to remain in the country for treatment.

One effective solution is to offer patients finance options for treatments. In this way, patients will be able to afford the procedures they want most – eliminating the need to travel abroad instead. Not only does this benefit individual practices – since the uptake of higher-end treatments will inevitably raise a practice’s bottom line – it will also have positive ramifications on the UK dental profession as a whole. What’s more, it will mean patients in this country will be able to access safe, predictable treatment for which they are adequately protected.

However, since the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took over the management of consumer credit, it has become more complicated to offer these options to patients. This is mainly due to the amount of administration that is required of a dentist – including quarterly and annual reporting – as well as regular fees and penalties should anything be forgotten.

As such, many companies are now offering dental practitioners the option to hand over the management of FCA authorisation to a third party. This liberates a dentist from the time-consuming responsibilities of handling a consumer credit authorisation, but does represent a high cost that must be mitigated by patient uptake to be viable.

Chrysalis Finance, however, offers a third option. Due to its unique contract, Chrysalis Finance can provide dentists with the UK’s only licence-free consumer credit options. By being able to make practices Appointed Representatives of the company, Chrysalis can assume complete responsibility of the FCA authorisation – leaving dentists to concentrate solely on providing affordable, high quality dentistry. What’s more, the Chrysalis Finance team also provides participating practices with an easy-to-use dashboard, which allows the application and approval of finance to be made from the surgery.

Make sure your patients are travelling abroad to find the treatments they want. Support them, the UK dental profession and your independent business by offering easier finance options with Chrysalis Finance. 

For more information about Chrysalis Finance call us on 0333 32 32 230 or visit www.chrysalisfinance.com

Martin Gilbert author

Martin Gilbert is the Director of Chrysalis Finance. Having qualified as a chartered accountant in 1978, he has since worked as a Financial Director in a wide range of different successful businesses, many of which have been involved in the provision of consumer credit. With over 30 years’ experience of the finance market, his understanding and expertise is second-to-none.