Your membership

Your subscription

We are a not-for-profit mutual company, owned by our members. 

Each member pays an individual annual subscription for membership and in doing so gains the right to request DDU assistance if problems arise from care provided during the membership year. 

Subscriptions are based on average weekly sessions across the whole membership year. See how to calculate average number sessions in the FAQs section of our website.

Over the years we have developed sophisticated actuarial, underwriting and clinical risk management capabilities enabling us to have an increasingly comprehensive and detailed understanding of the risk resulting from the clinical practice of each individual member. 

As a reflection of the dynamic nature of dental practice and the claims environment, our calculation of risk is constantly evolving. This can result in subscription changes either up or down to reflect our assessment of the risk within each member's practice from year to year.

If you are a dentist in general practice, your individual subscription is based on the amount and type of work you undertake as well as additional factors reflecting your career experience and work environment.

These additional factors can include:

  • past claims or potential claims
  • complaints and other professional difficulties (whether involving the DDU or not)
  • the length of your DDU membership
  • factors relating to your place of work and your professional responsibilities
It is important therefore that the information you give us about your past and current practice is complete, accurate and up to date. Failing to keep us informed of the type and amount of work you do, or changes to your practice, could affect your access to the benefits of DDU membership.

If there is any change in your circumstances or a change in your professional or personal situation which could possibly have a material bearing on your professional practice, or on your DDU membership, you must tell us immediately. 

It is important that you keep your membership details up to date. This is easy to do online at theddu.com. You can download the DDU app to access your membership card and proof of membership as well as keep up to date quickly and easily with our dento-legal advice and guidance.

Refunds

Your subscription pays for one year's membership. If you want to cancel your membership early, we do not offer refunds unless there are special circumstances such as sickness, retirement or family leave, and we don't refund amounts of £10 or less.

Where a refund is due, we will usually make it to the person or organisation which paid the subscription with the same payment mechanism they used.

Customer Service Excellence

Our membership team is just a free phone call away. You can reach us between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). We can help you with any membership questions you may have.

We are proud that our team has been accredited under the prestigious Customer Service Excellence programme and provides high levels of service.

Complaints

As part of our commitment to customer service excellence, we take complaints seriously and do our best to deal with them quickly and fairly. If you have a complaint, please contact:

Head of Operations
MDU Services Limited
One Canada Square
London E14 5GS

or visit theddu.com/complaints

Continuing your membership

About three weeks before the end of your membership year, you will receive an invitation to renew your DDU membership. We ask for you to respond to us before your renewal date. However, we allow 28 days grace beyond the renewal date to allow you to pay. As long as you can confirm that no new incident has happened since the renewal date, which may give rise to a claim, we will honour the renewal terms.

If you pay by Direct Debit, all you need to do is check the renewal information and tell us immediately if there are any changes.

If you do not pay by Direct Debit and you do not respond to the invitation to renew, we will cancel your membership from the renewal date. We will send you written confirmation of this. If you then want to reinstate your membership, you can do this within 28 days of your renewal date at our discretion.

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