Resilience of an angel

01 May 2015
Volume 31 · Issue 5

A look at the pressures involved in one orthodontic practice’s refurbishment project.

Project managing any practice refurbishment takes patience, resourcefulness and an eye for detail. None more so than in the makeover of this former beauty clinic in North London; the space constraints and challenges of working with planning departments and utilities put the skills and resilience of the project manager and her team to the test.
Angle House Orthodontics Group was first established in 1988. With five locations across North London the group’s partners wanted to further expand and set up a sixth practice in the Islington area. After much searching, a premises in Copenhagen Street, Islington, was identified as suitable. The double fronted shop was chosen due to its proximity to the tube and train and for the on street parking outside. To manage the refit Kirti Patel, one of the group’s partners, took on the role of project manager. Having worked on three previous refurbishments she is no stranger to the challenges presented by the complexity of this type of project.
Completing the purchase of the premises in 2013, Kirti then set about planning the layout of the new practice. Here came the biggest challenge - exactly how to fit everything required into the small space available whilst meeting local planning and CQC regulations. With only 740sq/ft to play with, the existing space required total reconfiguration to accommodate two surgeries, a decontamination room, kitchen area, toilet with disabled access, reception and waiting area. Alongside structural work the space needed rewiring and soundproofing.
Without hesitation Kirti turned to Ian Gocking at SPS Dental to assist in designing the practice layout and for supply of the dental equipment required. Kirti explains “Over the years we have engaged Ian to work on many projects at our other practices. He is easy to work with and always exceeds our expectations, bringing valuable knowledge and expertise about surgery design and equipment. I didn’t consider tendering for the work as I know I can trust him to deliver value for money. Together Ian and I came up with a design that ticked all the boxes.“
Building work began in January 2014, but before it could gain any momentum, it ground to a halt. A gas pipe servicing the residential flats above was discovered running through the premises. Previously hidden by partitioning the pipe could not be moved without planning permission. Kirti recalls, “The issue over the gas pipe was frustrating, time consuming and very expensive. It took nearly six months and £10k to resolve the issue although the actual repositioning work only involved one day of work on site. This was just one example of unexpected issues that arose during the project, which meant our plans had to change, and change again. Ian was very understanding and helped me reconfigure the layout plans several times to get it right. Fortunately I had decided to use a building team we’d worked with before and knew well. They were extremely flexible and accommodating of the constant
adjustments and didn’t land me with a dramatically inflated bill at the end.”
For the surgery equipment Kirti chose her old favourites including the Durr VS series vacuum motor, Ekom oil free
compressor and a Sirona XG3 digital OPG with ceph. Installed in their other practices, she has always turned to Belmont for dental chairs. Kirti explains her rationale. “The tight space in Islington meant the Cleo II Treatment Centre with its small footprint was the obvious choice. Takara Belmont chairs are such good value for money as they last for years and are easily maintained; our chairs in the Edgware practice are 18 years old and are still
performing well. In all the years of use I cannot ever recall having to call out an engineer to repair a broken chair.”
From purchase to completion the project took eight months to complete. Delays were mainly due to the many planning applications required for the plethora of internal changes. After much personal and financial investment the end result is a total transformation and one of which Kirti is very proud. “Although it is a tiny space we have managed to create a feeling of space. The decor and modern look is exactly what is demanded by our discerning Islington clients whilst being robust and enduring.”
For others considering a similar project Kirti has advice: “Install the best you can afford, it will pay you back in the long run. It is also essential to have a project team you can trust and rely on and who will be flexible if plans change. I am delighted that after many hours in the planning, we managed to fit everything into the practice that we wanted. We even squeezed in a small store cupboard for the four different buckets and mops required by CQC regulations!”
With the practice now open and receiving private referrals, Kirti can return to her lengthy ‘to do’ list. With such a demanding and time intensive project, work at the other practices has been on the back burner. Unphased by the intensity of the Islington refit, Kirti is now about to embark on another refurbishment project, this time at their Enfield practice set up 18 years ago.