Most practices don't regularly review whether their recruitment setup is actually protecting them.

They:

  • pay the fee,
  • hope the dentist stays,
  • repeat when something breaks.

This article gives you a simple checklist to test whether your current recruitment partner is truly on your side, and shows how Dentello is structured differently.

1. Do they share risk for the full contract term?

Key question:

"If this dentist leaves or underperforms in year two, do they help, or send another invoice?"

Red flags:

  • • Tiny rebate windows (e.g. 8 to 12 weeks)
  • • Full fee due again for a replacement dentist

✓ With Dentello:

  • • You have a replacement guarantee for the full length of the contract
  • • If a dentist placed through Dentello doesn't work out at any point during the term, Dentello is committed to replacing them under your agreement

2. Are their fees tied to performance, or just introductions?

Red flags:

  • • Large one-off invoices (e.g. £5,000 + VAT) on start date
  • • No link between what you pay and UDAs actually delivered

✓ Dentello's model:

  • • Fees starting from £12.50 per UDA including our own fees
  • • Most clinics sit between £12.50 and £14.50 per UDA, depending on area and requirements
  • • Our income is tied to ongoing UDA delivery, not just a signature

3. Do they help with visas, sponsorship and performers, or leave it to you?

Red flags:

  • • "We just introduce candidates."
  • • No meaningful support on:
    • Skilled Worker sponsor licences
    • Visa applications
    • NHS performer onboarding

✓ Dentello:

  • • Supports partner clinics with sponsor licences at cost
  • • Coordinates visa applications and absorbs the legal fee element for dentists placed through the platform
  • • Supports performer onboarding as part of a joined-up process

4. Are they still involved three years from now?

Red flags:

  • • You only hear from them when they want to send another CV or invoice
  • • No proactive workforce planning, just reactive placements

✓ Dentello:

  • • Works as a clinical workforce partner, not a one-off CV broker
  • • Helps you think and plan in multi-year UDAs and workforce needs
  • • Stays accountable over the full contract term, supported by a full-length replacement guarantee

5. Do you feel more secure, or more exposed, after working with them?

Ultimately, a recruitment partner should leave you feeling:

  • more confident about delivering your UDAs
  • less dependent on locums
  • more in control of your cost per UDA
  • better protected if something goes wrong

If your current setup doesn't feel like that, it may be time to rethink it.

Dentello is built to protect your practice

Dentello is designed to:

  • keep your UDA cost within a defined band from £12.50 including our own fees
  • protect you with a full-term replacement guarantee
  • handle overseas logistics (sponsorship, visas, performers) properly
  • stay with you over the whole contract, not just day one

Benchmark your current recruitment partner

If you'd like to benchmark your current recruitment costs and risks against a Dentello model, book a call with Dentello and walk through it together.