Making the right choice

Zoe Close talks to Deborah Parson about converting during a pandemic.

ZC: Hi Deborah, it’s been nearly 18 months since you made the move to private dentistry. What were the reasons for this?

DP: Well, a lot of it 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.

ZC: It’s natural for practice staff and dentists to be apprehensive about making such a move. Was this the case for you?

DP: Yes, we did have concerns. We are a very rural practice, and 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, Lynne Clark, we were able to have the right conversations with our patients and the majority were very supportive of the move.