The Business of Dentistry Podcast

Nigel Jones, Director at Practice Plan, is joined by Dr Lauren Harrhy, Principal Dentist and member for Wales on the BDA’s Principal Executive Committee, to discuss the latest proposals for changes to NHS dentistry in Wales and what it means for practices.

What you’ll hear:

• Overview of current dental landscape in Wales and recent updates
• Centralised patient waiting lists and continuity of care
• Possibility of practices handing contracts back
• Patient charge revenue
• Laurens thoughts on what might happen next

Amy Hansford, Regional Support Manager at Practice Plan catches up with Ulrika Skalberg, Dentist and Practice Owner at Teeth on the Heath, to talk about the growth in plan membership at the practice and the benefits.

What you’ll hear:

• How the plan has benefitted the practice
• How the practice have grown it's plan patients over the years
• How to get all the team involved
• The role each team member has in promoting the plan
• The importance of having the right culture in your practice
• Support from Practice Plan

Hazel Dockery sits down with Gemma Starkey, better known as Miss Social, to dive into the world of TikTok, explore why dental practices should be on the platform, and uncover the most effective ways to create and share content.

What you'll hear:

• Gemmas background in dentistry
• Why practices should use TikTok
• Types of content to post
• Following different accounts and syncing contacts
• Benefits of TikTok vs other social platforms.

Nigel Jones, Director at Practice Plan Group, is joined by Andy Acton, Director at Frank Taylor and Associates to talk about some of the challenges of being an independent practice owner and how to make owning a practice more enjoyable and ultimately successful.

What you’ll hear:

• Current challenges of running a dental practice
• Opportunities for practice owners
• What does an optimised practice look like
• Importance of monitoring KPI’s

Fern Jackson is joined by Nina Farmer, a dental therapist and nutritionist, to explore the transformative power of nutrition and share practical tips for enhancing overall health.

What you’ll hear:

• How does nutrition affect our overall health
• Common nutritional deficiencies
• Preventative measures for maintaining good oral health
• Simple dietary changes to improve overall health.

For more information from Nina visit her instagram @Nina.integratedhealth

Hazel Dockery catches up with Gemma Starkey, otherwise known as Miss Social, to talk about LinkedIn and how to best use the platform.

What you’ll hear:

• Benefits of LinkedIn
• Building a presence on the platform
• Producing newsletters
• Types of content to share and repost
• How regularly to post.

To find out more visit https://www.misssocial.co.uk/

Nigel Jones, Director at Practice Plan Group, is joined by Mike Blenkharn, Partner and Head of Dental at UNW LLP, to discuss the rising costs for dental practices and improving profitability.

What you’ll hear:

• Impact of latest budget on NHS and private dental practices
• Impact on staff and recruitment
• Exit strategies
• Benchmarking and financial performance
• Increasing revenue.

Katrina James, Area Manager at Practice Plan, is joined by Louise Anderson, Regional Support Manager at Practice Plan, to look at the current dental landscape in Wales and common issues practices are facing.

What you’ll hear:

• Overview of the current landscape
• How NHS dentistry operates in Wales
• Knock on effects of trying to reach targets
• Recruitment and retention issues
• Conditions for 6% pay uplift for NHS dentists
• Additional costs to staffing
• Increase in partial conversions to Private dentistry.

Hazel Dockery from Practice Plan is joined by Hannah Burrow and Jay Shah, Founders of Kiroku, to discuss the ethical side of AI and what to consider when implementing it into your business.

What you’ll hear:

• What defines Ai
• Some of the biggest misconceptions
• How Ai has improved efficiency or decision making in practice
• The ethical challenges around Ai
• How can practices ensure their data practices are secure and responsible
• Thoughts on future technologies or advancements.

To find out more visit https://www.trykiroku.com/

Donna Hall, Regional Support Manager at Practice Plan shares her top tips for attracting new and existing patients to your membership plan.

What you’ll hear:

• How to communicate plan benefits to new and existing patients
• Common concerns from patients about joining a plan
• Importance of the patient journey and involving the clinicians.