Most clinics think about recruitment in terms of vacancies:

  • "We need a dentist in X location."
  • "Our associate is leaving in eight weeks."

But your NHS contract, UDA expectations and patient demand are all multi-year problems.

This article explains why you need a 3-year clinical workforce plan, and how Dentello helps you build one.

The problem with vacancy-based thinking

Reacting only when someone leaves leads to:

  • constant job adverts
  • repeated interviews
  • dependence on locums
  • short-term panic on UDA rates
  • recurring clawback and missed private revenue

You are always solving last month's problem, not next year's.

What a 3-year clinical workforce plan looks like

A proper workforce plan answers:

  • How many UDAs do we need to deliver each year?
  • How many full-time equivalent (FTE) associates does that require?
  • How many are likely to be UK-based vs overseas?
  • Who might retire, relocate or step down over the next 3 years?
  • Which sites are most fragile if one person leaves?

From there, you map:

  • ✓ Existing dentists
  • ✓ Expected departures
  • ✓ New hires you will need (and when)
  • ✓ Sponsorship and visa timelines
  • ✓ Performer list lead times

How Dentello supports a 3-year mindset

Dentello is structured around multi-year contracts, not one-off placements.

For clinics working with us over time, we:

  • look at your UDA delivery over 3 years, not just one vacancy
  • match dentists based on long-term fit, location and contract stability
  • help phase in overseas associates before a crisis hits

Financially, you know:

  • your dentists are supplied on fees starting from £12.50 per UDA including our own fees
  • most arrangements fall between £12.50 and £14.50 per UDA, depending on area and complexity
  • every dentist placed comes with a replacement guarantee for the full length of the contract

That makes it much easier to commit to a 3-year plan instead of living vacancy-to-vacancy.

From firefighting to predictable delivery

With a 3-year workforce plan, you can:

  • replace likely leavers before they go
  • avoid long periods with empty or underused surgeries
  • reduce reliance on expensive locums
  • grow private revenue from stable associate lists

Dentello's role is to:

  • act as a clinical workforce partner, not just a CV source
  • share risk over the whole contract term via a full-term replacement guarantee
  • keep your UDA cost within a controlled band from £12.50 including our own fees

Stop the recruitment emergency cycle

If you're tired of recruitment feeling like a permanent emergency, build a 3-year workforce plan with Dentello instead of posting yet another last-minute job advert.