Locum insurance is optional. However, the consequences of not having effective insurance in place to cover the cost of hiring a locum when needed are so serious that arguably all dental practices should have some form of locum cover. 

Without a contingency plan to handle the absence of your staff, you may not be able to continue offering the level of care required by your patients and your business could suffer if too much strain is put on other members of staff.

No matter how you look at it, it’s clear that having effective dentist locum insurance is the right move. Especially if you predict increased workloads at any particular time of the year and wish to continue operating as normal in the event of unplanned absences.

Avoid Serious Financial Risk with Effective Cover

The cost for hiring a locum out of your own pocket can very quickly turn into thousands of pounds. Why? Because being a dentist is a highly specialized profession and not everyone can do it. 

There are standard rates that you can expect to pay if you need to find a replacement. Taking out an insurance policy is the best way to cover this cost, and you won’t have to panic even if your full time employee’s absence turns into several months.

It’s surprising how exposed many practices are to serious financial risk due to their lack of effective cover. As well as the cost of hiring locums yourself, you might be putting your existing team under great stress due to the pressure of handling a greater workload. 

Finding the Right Locum for Your Type of Practice

Ideally, you will be able to hire a dentist with the same level of knowledge and experience, but this might not always be possible. Consider the following when choosing a locum to cover for your permanent staff. 

• Volume of patients and workload (Will the locum be able to handle the same intensity as your permanent staff?)
• Familiarity with practice procedures
• Familiarity with practice equipment (software and computer systems)
• Availability of practice partners for training, support and assistance during the locum session
• Practice staff support (availability of practice nurses)

When Should a Locum be Appointed?

A locum can be appointed to cover a number of different absences. Some might be spontaneous while others can be predicted as part of any normal dental surgery and practice.

• Annual leave
• Study leave
• Sick leave
• Maternity leave or adoption
• Mental health related illnesses

The length of appointment and session durations can vary from a few weeks to several months. Locums should be appointed for a maximum initial period of six months. Any extension beyond that should be subject to review.

What Is Covered by Locum Insurance?

Every locum policy is different. Some will pay out flat sums to practices for any situations where a permanent staff member can’t carry out their specific job due to illness or injury. However, some may not pay out if the employee can still handle other roles within the practice, such as non treatment related tasks, using their general knowledge and experience. 

Ultimately, you need a policy that reflects the needs of your practice. You should also make sure the policy still pays out if you decide to cover any absence by re-allocating resources in-house, rather than employing a locum, for example. 

It’s all about giving yourself that extra bit of breathing room to make important decisions for your practice to keep it running smoothly. Whether that means hiring a locum or using additional funds to facilitate an optimised working environment with your current staff and resources. 

Final Advice 

Remember, when comparing locum insurance policies, cover is only really effective if it’s in place before someone falls ill. Early planning and selecting the right product for the needs of your practice is crucial. If you don’t have the right policy in place when someone falls sick for a long duration of time, you will need to cover the hiring of a locum from your own pocket.

Also, make sure you confirm that the terms and conditions are permanent throughout the entire term of the policy. For instance, your policy should not be cancellable by your insurer for any reason while continuing to meet the terms and conditions of your policy.