Deborah Parson, Practice Manager at Weobley Dental Surgery, explains the reasons behind their move from NHS dentistry to private, why they chose Practice Plan to support them through the process and how the move has paid off….
Why we made the move and our initial apprehensions
One of the main reasons for making the move was down to the fact that the dentists were just utterly sick and tired of working under the NHS. They didn’t want to be dealing with bureaucracy anymore, and they were fed up with the unnecessary paperwork they were having to deal with. They just wanted to concentrate their time on the patients and on providing them with a top-quality service. At the start we did have a few concerns because, as a very rural practice, we know the majority of our patients very well. We were worried how some patients might view our move. We wanted them to understand it was being made to improve the quality of treatment and the quality of a work-life balance for the staff. And we did have a few worries that some of the non-paying NHS patients would not be able to afford to pay privately. With the help of Practice Plan and our Regional Support Manager (RSM), we were able to have the right conversations with our patients and the majority were very supportive of the move.
Choosing Practice Plan
We didn’t know an awful lot about Practice Plan, but we knew they had a lot of experience in conversions, and what appealed to us was that we would always have control and be able to
make our own decisions about how we wanted to operate. Our experience with our RSM has been brilliant right from the very start. They set everything in motion for us, talked us through the whole process and helped with sending letters and talking our patients through the move. They were always there to lean on for support and throughout the pandemic she was always checking in to see how things were going. It was great to know that the support was available. Along with this, we have also received first-class support from Practice Plan’s Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones, who was very helpful during our conversion and went above and beyond.
Benefits of the move
Ever since we made the move things have gone very well, even better than we expected, and it really does show that we were right to make that decision. When we were talking the other day, we said we should have done this sooner, maybe even ten years ago. The dentists are less stressed in and out of practice and they can concentrate on providing a top-notch service and, from my point of view, I can actually concentrate on getting things done rather than worrying about something such as a big NHS audit landing on my desk. We have been inundated with new people asking to register with us, and many of these have been recommendations from existing patients. This is really encouraging and goes to show that our concerns about how our patients would react to making the move were unfounded.
Why you should ‘go for it’
Practice Plan gave us the confidence to go ahead and act on something we had only been brave enough to talk about for several years. We would say that if you have thought about making the move then take the plunge and don’t be afraid. There is a lot of hard work that goes into it, but very quickly you will realise that it really is worth it. Give yourself plenty of time to put things in place and then go for it, you won’t regret it.
Ready to talk?
We’ve spent years supporting private practices, so we’re not just experts when it comes to making the move away from NHS dentistry. You can count on us to be there for the long-term. So, if you’re ready to start talking about a different future, why not talk to the NHS conversion experts.
We’re ready when you are…
You can learn more about how we can support you here, or simply give us a call on 01691 684165 or email us on info@practiceplan.co.uk
We also have no-obligation One-to-One virtual appointments available – find out more and book a slot here.
