With three practices already established in the North West under the Oak Dental banner, Bruce Porteous, dentist and practice owner, hadn’t considered further expansion. It was only a chance conversation with his accountant that revealed the imminent sale of a singlehanded practice in Litherland, five miles north of Liverpool City Centre. Despite it needing an extensive overhaul Bruce was enthusiastic about its potential. With three refurbishments already under his belt Bruce knew he could rely on a strong, experienced team to carry out the necessary transformation.
Completing the purchase of the practice in the summer of 2012, Lilac Ashcroft, Bruce’s practice manager of 13 years recalls the situation when they took it over, “It was very antiquated and in desperate need of bringing into the 21st century. The project was quite daunting at the beginning but with the experience of refurbishing our other practices we knew it had the potential to be a modern, welcoming practice that patients would be pleased to visit.”
To plan and deliver the transformation Bruce commissioned dental equipment supplier Simon Pearce at McKillop Dental. He had worked with Simon on similar projects previously and most recently on the refurbishment of his Ormskirk practice. “I knew Simon’s team could be trusted to provide sound advice, plan the new layout and manage the refurbishment work to the timescales required. I didn’t give appointing the McKillop team a second thought.”
To complete the team Bruce appointed local builder, Ian Miles, the son of one of his dental staff. Ian hadn’t worked for Bruce before but came with good track record in similar work.
The first major task was to radically redesign the ground floor. Bruce wanted to add an additional surgery and provide
disabled and pushchair access. A plan was drafted which saw the entrance and existing reception area relocated to the side of the building and a new ramp installed. The old reception room was converted into a new surgery with the second surgery located at the back of the building. New plant and decontaminations rooms were also added.
For the surgery furniture and cabinetry Bruce chose brands with a proven track record and ones he had tried and tested in his other practices. For the dental chairs he selected models from Takara Belmont, Bruce explains, “I have Belmont chairs installed in my other practices and have found them to be hardwearing, reliable and genuine value for money. It made sense to keep with the same manufacturer so that sourcing replacement parts across all practices is a straightforward, easy process.”
For one surgery Bruce chose the Cleo, Belmont’s knee break chair, for its small footprint and to facilitate easy access for
his elderly and disabled patients. For the second surgery he opted for the Voyager treatment centre, with its left and
right handed compatibility. McKillop supplied the cabinetry, helping to create a strong and consistent identity across all four of the Oak Dental practices. For the refurbishment team the principal challenge was to ensure the practice could continue to operate whilst the building work was taking place. To do this a temporary reception on the ground floor was set up where patients were greeted before being taken upstairs. Examination and treatment then took place in an unused room converted for use as a surgery during the refurbishment period. Lilac remembers, “It can be quite stressful trying to continue to offer a service whilst building work is continuing around you. McKillop and the builders were very considerate of both staff and patients and worked hard to keep disruption to a minimum. Their detailed planning and experience of similar work meant that everything went according to schedule and was completed on target in 12 weeks.”
Lilac emphasises, “Without doubt you need a dependable, experienced team and good co-operation by all to succeed. You certainly need someone you can rely on and trust to oversee that the job is done to a good standard and to the project plan you have agreed. McKillop fulfilled this role and more. We would have no hesitation in recommending them for similar projects. We now offer a much more up to date practice with modern equipment and furnishings. The practice today is poles apart from when we bought it. The staff are thrilled and it has given us an enormous morale boost, helping to improve the atmosphere for patients and staff alike. Some patients really can’t believe it is the same practice.”