Dr Archana Naik, Dentolegal Consultant at Dental Protection, walks us through her experience of a patient complaint when she was starting out as a dentist in the UK.
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When I first started working in the UK, dental indemnity was not something I had come across - this can be an unfamiliar concept to someone who has qualified abroad. I thought of indemnity as a tick-box exercise - a legal requirement for GDC registration and an extra cost.
This was until a patient complained.
I had provided a routine composite restoration at the lower right first molar of a patient one morning, and he called me at around 5pm that day. He was very angry that the numbness from his local anaesthetic had still not worn off. I immediately went into panic mode. All the other dentists in the practice had gone home by then, and I convinced myself that the patient was going to report me to the General Dental Council.
Then I remembered that my indemnity organisation, Dental Protection, had a 24-hour helpline for emergencies like this. I called and straight away spoke with a dentolegal advisor. I’ll never forget the reassurance she gave me. She listened, calmed me down, and as a dentist herself really understood how I was feeling.
She also gave me some incredibly helpful advice. She suggested calling the patient back in for a review appointment the very next day to discuss his concerns and options to help with his symptoms. The prospect made me anxious – I told her I wasn’t sure I was prepared to handle another conversation with him given how irate he had been. She gave me some tips on how to manage situations like this, and told me about Dental Protection’s training on handling difficult conversations – along with other learning resources I might find helpful. Until then, I didn’t even know training was available and that it was included in my membership at no extra cost.
Thanks to the early advice and support from Dental Protection, I was able to navigate this incident. I offered a sincere apology, a prompt specialist referral and booked follow up review appointments for the patient, alongside maintaining an audit trail to evidence that appropriate steps had been taken. Thankfully, the matter was resolved at practice level.
I went on to explore Dental Protection’s learning resources further, and added them to my CPD activities. I also attended events and presentations by Dental Protection speakers. As a direct result I picked up tips and skills and learned how to respond effectively to adverse events – developing strategies to enhance my communication with patients while deepening my understanding of the professional principles that guide clinicians in the UK.
Applying those skills in daily practice worked, and cumulatively the learning strengthened my confidence not only in handling challenging situations, but also my overall confidence as a clinician.
When I look back, I wish I’d known earlier the wider value of indemnity as a crucial support system. Over the years, Dental Protection has not just provided me with indemnity protection when dentolegal challenges have arisen, but empowered me with training and support to help prevent, deescalate and manage these situations much more effectively.
It has perhaps been the support I received from Dental Protection over many years of clinical practice that spurred me on become a support for my colleagues as a dentolegal consultant.
This is why I want to spread the word about how valuable it is having a supportive indemnity organisation like Dental Protection on your side. With more and more myths being promoted around discretionary indemnity, it feels even more important to share my story and the truth as I have experienced it.
At Dental Protection, discretion is not in any way about declining to assist. It gives us the flexibility to help in unexpected or unusual circumstances. As a member-owned, not-for-profit organisation, we exist solely to safeguard the professional futures of our members, so our starting point is always to look for ways we can help.
Indemnity with Dental Protection means not only financial protection if things go wrong, but also support to help make sure they go right – along with the peace of mind that comes from both these things.
We have recently launched our New to UK Practice hub for internationally qualified colleagues, and we’re working hard as a team to develop further tailored support resources for international dental graduates. Thinking back to my early days as a graduate new to UK practice, I am so excited and glad to be part of these developments.