30 years with Denplan – Justin Jones
Article published: 08 December 2023
Business Development Consultant Emily Stead recently caught up with Justin Jones, who celebrated his 30-year anniversary with Denplan this year.
Based in Penrhyndeudraeth, close to Portmeirion in North Wales, Justin has been practising dentistry since graduating in 1987. He opted for a career in dentistry, in part because apparently 6ft4 is too big to fit into a fighter jet (his own words), but also because he wanted to be his own boss. We're glad Justin chose dentistry, and we're sure his patients are too.
Find out more about Justin’s journey with Denplan, what’s kept him with us for so long, and what he’s seen change in the industry.
What made you join Denplan?
The new contract came in 1991, we did all the work, and they decided on the claw-back in 1993. It was getting to the point where we couldn’t survive as we were, it was getting unmanageable for patient care and our own health.
We’d been to seminars in the late 80s and early 90s where Stephen Noar (founder of Denplan) was speaking, and we enjoyed the ethos and vision for dentistry in the future, and that’s why we went for it.
We gave Denplan a call and they came back and helped us.
- Justin Jones
What’s kept you with Denplan all this time?
Basically, the support. From the beginning, we’ve had excellent support. We did a full conversion into Denplan, and then that support has been there all the time with training.
There’s also the social side - sporting events and social events, like shows. And when you pick up the phone, there’s always someone there.
What have been the most significant changes you’ve seen in the industry?
The patients are the same, the materials and techniques have improved.
Since I started out, the paperwork has gone through the roof, so you need a different sort of workforce, practice managers, and support when doing CQC and HIW inspections. The Denplan Excel accreditation is brilliant for that.
The main change I’ve seen though, is a mass exodus from the NHS because of contract reform, especially in Wales.
Have you got any patients you treated when they were small, that are still with you?
Some of them have been with me for 36 years! Because it’s a rural area, you get stable populations. Families stay put.
A 10-year-old patient I saw in 1993 will now be a 40-year-old parent, and the people the same age as me in 1993 are now grandparents.
It’s a very loyal patient base, as well as the staff and team. Many of them have been with us for over 10 years.
We loved chatting with Justin and sharing his 30-year story. We’ll be bringing you more interviews over the next 12 months, chatting to member dentists and discovering their unique journeys in dentistry.
But for now, here’s to another 30 years, Justin!