Prior to buying Littleover Dental Practice (LDP), I was an associate at an NHS practice in Wolverhampton. I was there for two years and was really keen to boost my education by pursuing a post-graduate degree. Unfortunately, my study schedule and work commitments were just impossible to coordinate, so I made the decision to leave.
I attended a few interviews for a practice associate position but then the opportunity to take on LDP presented itself and all the pieces seemed to fall into place. The figures all matched up and the current team were very open and honest telling me all the pros and cons from the outset. They seemed like good, genuine people and best of all, the goodwill transfer would allow me to continue with my career ambitions and my continuing progression, so I decided to go for it.
The whole process was daunting as I was originally looking for an NHS practice to take over. The idea of charging people a lot of money for something I would have provided for free under the NHS was a little intimidating, but the team at LDP were fantastically accommodating. They really eased the first patient-dentist interaction, which went a long way.
I also went to see Denplan prior to the purchase as the practice was about 50 per cent private fee per item patients and about 50 per cent Denplan. A consultant summarised what the plans were all about, the ethics of the company and the way in which it benefitted practice owners and patients alike. He put me in touch with my local Denplan consultant, Wendy, who was knowledgeable and very happy to speak to me, even though the purchase hadn't been finalised yet. She also outlined the good and bad sides of private practice and the kind of personality you need to have to build rapport and ensure your patients trust you fully. This service was an invaluable experience to attain prior to finalising the transfer, especially as I had never had any prior exposure to Denplan capitation schemes.
Once the offer was accepted and things were moving on, Wendy and I had another face-to-face meeting to discuss the ins and outs of the goodwill transfer, plus the marketing and legislative support I could expect. This was foreign ground for me, as I was anticipating a mountain of paperwork, but she quickly quelled my worries and broke down what seemed to be a long process into something much simpler.
Wendy was there throughout the whole process to discuss any queries or problems, so I never felt off-track. She made me aware of what the norm was in the area by calling neighbouring practices and seeing how they fared when it came to services, customer service and price and so on. The report I got back was a professional, in-depth document which was about 40 pages thick and was truly invaluable as a barometer of where we were and whether our systems were effective.
The team at LDP were also instrumental in the take-over process. The previous principal continued at the practice as my associate and the staff welcomed my presence. This was so important when it came to retaining patients as many of them had been under the care of LDP for more than 20 years, and I believe this was greatly down to the friendly, approachable and, most importantly, loyal staff team. They acted as an endorsement for me as they were able to help out with nervous patients, give patients confidence and generally continue to provide the great atmosphere that the patients love. The principal also eased the change over by helping overcome staff concerns with the transfer and also helped me to get their buy-in when it came to changes and new directions I wanted to follow to enhance the growth of the practice.
Once the goodwill transfer was complete I was keen to inform the patients in a positive way, to make the transition go as smoothly as possible. Wendy was able to arrange a patient information newsletter for us. We wrote about general practice news, upcoming open days and who I was and where I came from, and I think it really helped put patients' minds at rest. The end result was a professional, clear and concise newsletter, which Denplan sent out free for us. We have plans to create another newsletter in the summer to let patients know how it's all going and that we are currently updating our website. Wendy has kept in touch with us too and calls every few weeks to see how we're getting on and to let us know about all the Denplan training and social events coming up. It's reassuring to know that someone is always available when it comes to up-to-date guidance on regulations and support for the dreaded inspections. It has been just over a year since the goodwill transfer went through now and I can't believe how the time has flown by. Touch wood, there have been no hiccups, and our patient base has remained stable. In hindsight I probably worried too much about the whole process, but it ran remarkably smoothly in the end.