Double jabbed – what does this mean for dentistry?
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 4th February 2022
All staff who work in health and social care settings, regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), will have to be fully vaccinated by 1 April 2022, as announced by England’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid.[i] Unless medically exempt, or in a non-patient facing role, all staff will need to have both COVID-19 vaccinations, as a precaution to protect NHS patients and colleagues from infection and avoidable harm.[ii] This comes after the government made it a legal requirement for all care home staff to be vaccinated from 11 November 2021.[iii]
The latest announcement will apply to the majority of the dental team, including receptionists. As the practice/business owner, you’ll need to consider the ways this will affect your patients, your team and your practice.
Recruitment and practice valuation
Every dental professional has been hit hard by the pandemic, but dental nurses in particular have been a cause for concern. A recent study[iv] found that 65% of the dental nurses who participated claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic made them consider leaving dentistry. Stress, anxiety and pay/wages were some of the driving factors.
Dental professionals have been compliant over the past 18 months with the ever-changing regulations – with the implementation of extra PPE, for example – and the decision to mandate vaccinations could push many to leave the profession altogether. If more dental nurses, or any dental personnel, were to leave the profession because of mandatory vaccinations, then this could add more pressure on an already fraught and over-stretched workforce.
A sparse team will not only affect the remaining staff, but could impact your profit and your treatment delivery capabilities. The struggle for NHS dental patients to receive treatment has been highlighted throughout the pandemic, and if more practices are limited on what they can provide, this may be even more unfavourable for patients.
If you are looking to sell your dental practice, you should also consider how the government’s announcement will affect this process, especially the valuation. If your team is reduced in numbers due to members of staff not wanting to be double jabbed, the remaining workforce, under the basics of a supply and demand curve, may cost you more. For example, if you’re selling your practice at a multiple of 8x EBITDA, and you have a team member who is costing you an extra £1000 a year, then that’s £8000 off the valuation. If you’re paying more for multiple members of staff in the practice, then this can quickly add up and could have a dramatic impact.
Duty of the employer/business owner
As the employer, or business owner, you may have concerns about how to approach your staff regarding their vaccination status, and whether it’s an infringement of their privacy. However, as you have a duty of care to your patients, making the appropriate enquiries is crucial.
So, how can you navigate the instance of staff members not wanting to be double jabbed? You may have other, non-patient facing roles that they can be redeployed in, such as a decontamination dental nurse – but this may not always be feasible for you. If you do have a non-patient facing role available, but two members of staff need to be redeployed, how do you determine who gets the role? Will they need to undergo a selection process with an interview? This may not be relevant for you, but it is something you should be mindful of, especially if you have a smaller practice.
Until 1 April 2022, you’ll have a period of time in which to have conversations with your staff. It’s vital that you take advantage of this, giving your staff any relevant information they need in order to make a decision that works for them. For employees that have made it clear to you that they’re not going to be vaccinated, you may need to make preparations so you have cover arranged from 1 April 2022.
Going forward
This announcement from the government will certainly give you a lot to consider. You’ll want what’s best for your patients, your team and your practice, so these conversations may be challenging, but they are necessary.
For more information on how these new measures may affect you, visit the Dental Elite website and watch their Double Jabbin’ video, where the team share their insights on the government’s announcement and how it may impact dental practices.
Luke Moore is one of the Founders and Directors of Dental Elite and has overseen well in excess of 750 practice sales and valuations. With over 11 years working in the dental industry, Luke has extensive knowledge in both dental practice transfers and recruitment and understands the complexities of NHS and Private practices.
Visit the website at https://www.dentalelite.co.uk/video-hub.
For more information, visit www.dentalelite.co.uk, email info@dentalelite.co.uk or call 01788 545 900
[i] Rimmer, A. (2021). Covid vaccination to be mandatory for NHS staff in England from spring 2022. BMJ. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2733. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
[ii] GOV.UK. (2021). Government to introduce COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment for all frontline health and social care workers. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-introduce-covid-19-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-for-all-frontline-health-and-social-care-workers. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
[iii] The Royal College of Nursing. (n.d.). COVID-19 and mandatory vaccination | Royal College of Nursing. [online] Available at: https://www.rcn.org.uk/get-help/rcn-advice/covid-19-and-mandatory-vaccination. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.
[iv] Dingle, M. and Balmer, C. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on dental nursing – The forgotten profession. BDJ Team. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41407-021-0555-6. Accessed 16 Dec. 2021.
