Tracy Webb shares her advice for NHS dentists who are struggling to find fulfilment in everyday practice life.
Despite the apparent credibility of minister of state for care Stephen Kinnock, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to the future of NHS dentistry. This is why it’s understandable that many dentists find this unsettling and are interested in exploring ways to take control of their own futures. Practice Plan regional support manager, Tracy Webb, suggests some routes to achieve this.
Start with what’s motivating you
Before making any decisions, it is essential to reflect on your reasons for wanting to make a change. While financial considerations are often a major factor, they’re rarely the only ones. Many dentists cite a desire for better work-life balance, improved patient care, and greater professional satisfaction as their main drivers for change. Others are motivated by the need to protect their health or spend more time with family.
Understanding your personal and professional goals is the foundation for any successful transition from NHS to private dentistry. Ask yourself: what does a fulfilling practice life look like to me? Is it about autonomy, flexibility, or clinical freedom? Once you’ve defined where you want to be, you can begin to plan your route to getting there.
Build a clear strategy
Clarity is a wonderful thing and makes achieving goals so much easier. Once you are clear on what you want you can devise a strategy to help you achieve it. At the very least this should include engaging your practice team, assessing patient demand, and communicating effectively with your patient base.
Start by assessing whether your current practice setup can support your vision. Is there likely to be sufficient demand for the types of treatments and care you want to offer? Will your current patients support the changes you want to make? The answers to these questions will help determine the feasibility of your plans.
A financial analysis and risk assessment are essential before you proceed. Contacting an experienced plan provider, such as Practice Plan, for a no obligation appointment is a great idea. They can draw on their many years of experience of helping practices convert from NHS to private dentistry to help gauge whether things are likely to be successful in your particular circumstances. They’ll do a full assessment and help you understand how many patients you would need to make your conversion a success and support you through the process of converting from start to finish, and beyond.
Understand your patients
Patient loyalty is the cornerstone of any successful practice. Introducing a membership plan, as well as helping your patients to budget for their oral health maintenance, can be a way of retaining their loyalty to your practice. Make sure your plan is designed to suit their needs and is priced to make it more attractive than pay-as-you-go options.
Choosing the right provider is crucial. Look for one that can tailor plans to suit your patient base and practice needs. Choosing a plan provider who can brand the plan to your practice, rather than their own company, can help to highlight to patients that they are not only spreading the cost of their oral healthcare, but have also become members of the practice. Practices tell us this helps to increase the sense of loyalty patients feel towards them. Whichever option you choose, communicating these changes clearly and confidently is key.
Engage your team
Your practice team plays a vital role in the success of your transition. Having their buy-in is crucial to achieving a smooth conversion.
Involve your team in your plans from the earliest possible moment. Give them the opportunity to air any concerns they may have about the move and treat them seriously. This builds trust and helps everyone feel part of the journey. When patients ask questions about the changes, a confident and unified response from your team can make all the difference to how reassured they feel.
Ensure your team receives training on and understands how to communicate the full value of the new plans. Hesitancy or vagueness can be misinterpreted by patients as a lack of confidence in the offering. Equip your team with the knowledge they need to be able to speak confidently about the changes.
Communicate effectively
Effective communication should be the golden thread that runs through everything you do. Whether it’s your patient letters and brochures, your website or social media channels, every touchpoint should reflect your commitment to quality and care.
Sloppily produced materials can undermine patient confidence and leave an impression of a lack of professionalism. Whereas, well-crafted communications can reinforce trust and build brand loyalty. Ask your plan provider for advice on how to ensure your patient communication hits the mark. They could help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure your messaging is clear and consistent.
Maintain momentum
Once you’ve launched your private offering the challenge then is to continue to achieve growth. Regular practice meetings, ongoing training, and support from your plan provider can help you stay focused and on track. If you’re a Practice Plan customer then its online dashboard, Supportal, can give you access to all the information and data you need at the press of a button.
Celebrate all your successes, no matter how big or small. Set achievable milestones and take time to acknowledge progress with your team. These moments of celebration help to underline to your staff how much they are valued and helps to keep them motivated.
Get the right support
Dealing with the bureaucracy that surrounds the NHS dental contract can seem overwhelming. However, with the right advice and support, the process doesn’t have to be daunting. Partnering with an experienced patient plan provider, such as Practice Plan, can make all the difference. With 30 years’ experience of helping practices introduce private dentistry, we feel justified in describing ourselves as the NHS to private conversion experts. We’ll support you every step of the way and make a complicated process seem simple.
What’s more, once the dust has settled our aim is to build a long-lasting relationship so we can help your practice flourish and give you more of what you want from practice life. So, what are you waiting for?
If you’re considering your options away from the NHS and are looking for a plan provider who will hold your hand through the process at a pace that’s right for you, you can start the conversation with Practice Plan today by calling 01691 684165 or to book your one-to-one NHS to private conversation at a date and time that suits you, just visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhsvirtual.
If you’d like to find out more about introducing a plan, and how Practice Plan can help you, visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhs.
This article is sponsored by Practice Plan.
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