How do you manage sickness absence in a small dental practice? With more structure than most practices think they need, because the arithmetic is unforgiving: in a team of eight, one nurse off sick can close a surgery for the day and the lost appointments are gone for good. Absence management in a practice this size is capacity planning, not just HR admin.
The new cost of day one
Since 6th April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first day of sickness, with no waiting days and no lower earnings limit. The rate is the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of the employee’s normal weekly earnings. Short absences that used to cost you only disruption now cost money too, which makes managing patterns of short-term absence more important, not less.
Reporting rules that protect the diary
Your absence policy should require a phone call (not a text, not a message via a colleague) to a named person by a set time, early enough to reorganise the morning list. That is not bureaucracy; it is the difference between moving patients at 8am and apologising to them at 9am. Require the call daily during short absences unless agreed otherwise, self-certification for the first 7 days, and a fit note after.
Return-to-work conversations, every time
A short, friendly, documented conversation after every absence does three jobs: it shows absence is noticed, it surfaces problems early (the bad back that is really the wrong chair, the Monday pattern that is really a rota problem), and it builds the record you will need if things become formal. Five minutes, a standard form, every time, no exceptions.
Triggers and the formal route
Set trigger points (for example, three absences or eight days in a rolling twelve months) and apply them consistently. When a trigger is hit, hold a formal review: understand the causes, offer support, set expectations, and warn honestly about the next stage. For long-term absence, get occupational health advice before making decisions, and remember that if a condition amounts to a disability you have a duty to consider reasonable adjustments.
Plan for the surgery you will lose
Cross-train nurses across surgeries, keep a small locum bank warm, and write down the closure protocol: which list moves first, who calls patients, what gets rebooked when. The practices that cope with absence are the ones that decided what to do before 8.05am on the bad morning.
Want a hand with this?
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General guidance for UK employers, correct at 22nd July 2026. Not advice on a specific situation. More guides for your sector: HR for dental practices. Not sure where your gaps are? Check your HR Risk Score in 3 minutes.
