The Business of Dentistry Podcast

Buying a dental practice is one of the biggest decisions that a dentist is likely to make and can be stressful for all parties involved. From choosing the right business model to determining the best location, many personal and legal factors must be carefully taken into consideration before taking the plunge.

There are several burdens and rewards associated with buying a dental practice depending on which route you wish to go down – NHS, private or a mixture of both. This podcast will highlight what essential due diligence dentists should undertake so that they are more likely to achieve their goals and ensure their practice is sustainable and successful in the long-term.

What you'll hear today:

• How to assess the dental practice market
• The pros and cons of buying an NHS practice, a private practice or a mixture of both
• The importance of creating a robust business plan and what level of detail should be in there
• What you should be considering when choosing the location of your dental practice
• How to ensure you choose the right financial lender when purchasing a practice.

If you're considering putting your dental practice on the market, this podcast is a must! Join host Nigel Jones as he catches up with Wesleyan Bank's Raj Patel to gain his expert knowledge and advice on the pros and cons of putting your dental practice on the market.

What you'll hear today:

• Insight into how buoyant the dental practice market is at present
• Key things you should undertake in readiness for putting your practice on the market
• Insight into the common pitfalls you should avoid when selling a practice
• The pros and cons of selling to an individual compared to a corporate firm.

The Office of the Chief Dental Officer England brought together a panel of the leading members of  of NHS England, Public Health England, CQC, BDA, Health Education England, Public Health England and the Department of Health on 12th June 2017, to answer the most asked questions on NHS Dentistry. And you can hear everything that was said in this Bodcast!

Discussion areas covered:

• Contract reform timefarmes
• Starting Well Initiative
• Regulation
• Training
• Employment of the Workforce
• Funding
• Patient outcomes
• Digital working practices

Panel members included:

• Sara Hurley, Chief Dental Officer England
• Janet Clarke, Deputy Chief Dental Officer England
• Eric Rooney, Deputy Chief Dental Officer England
• Mick Armstrong, Chair of BDA and practicing dentist
• Janet Williamson, Deputy Chief Inspector of General Practice and Dentistry CQC
• Nicholas Taylor, Chair of COPDEND and English Dental Deans
• Helen MisCampell, DoH
• Sandra White, National Lead for Dental Public Health in Public Health England
• David Geddes, Department of Primary Care Commissioning in NHS England
• Jonathan Green, Executive Director, Fitness to Practise, GDC
• Ash Patel, Clinical Lead at CDO Office

Listen to this unmissable episode of Bodcast with Simon Thackeray where he shares his personal views on the current situation for NHS dentists and considers what the future might hold in an insightful discussion with host Nigel Jones.

What you'll hear today:

• Simon's sense of the current state of affairs for NHS dentists
• Simon's views on the impact of rising costs and the increase pressures on NHS dentists
• A consideration of the impact of the time pressures felt by those working within NHS dentistry
• Simon's understanding of the current state of play with the reform program
• An explanation of the career path for associates dentists towards practice ownership.

Gain a greater understanding on how you can successfully liaise with NHS England on legal aspects related to running your dental practice in this episode of Bodcast. Host Nigel Jones is joined by Andrew Lockhart-Mirams, Senior Partner at Lockharts Solicitors, who shares his invaluable advice.

What you'll hear today:

• An insight into claw backs and key trends relating to this
• Changes to the way the Local Area Teams (LATs) are handling contract changes
• Key things to consider when facing a breach or remedial notice
• A greater understanding of how to go about challenging a termination notice
• Guidance on the issues that can arise with regard to the performers list
• Obtaining support when put into ‘special measures’ by the CQC.

Navigating the field of financial products available to your dental practice can be a frustrating minefield. Whilst regulation ensures that product information is itself clear and easy to compare, the banking industry’s focus on their products rather than your needs often means businesses rely on the same solutions over and over namely edging into overdrafts or loans from their high street bank.

In this episode of Bodcast, host Nigel Jones is joined by John Clarke, Head of Business Development at Wesleyan Bank, to discuss how you can finance growth in your business. 

What you'll hear today:

• John's views on why it is a good idea to separate your commercial finance requirements and your day-to-day business needs
• Insight into the sources of commercial finance available to dental practices
• What to look for from an alternative source of finance
• The factors that should be considered, over and above interest rates
• The key considerations to think about when looking to invest in advanced technology for your business.

When it comes to planning for the future, working with a Dental Business Coach like Andy McDougall can help to provide you with the support and advice you need to make the right decisions for you and your business. In this episode of Bodcast, host Zoe Close, catches up with Andy to find out how he can help practice owners to run their business in a radically different way in order to double their profits every three years.

What you’ll hear today:

• An overview of how Andy's techniques and approach differs from other coaches and consultants in the industry
• Andy explains how he works with practices to help to double their net profit in a maximum of three years
• Insight into the typical problems a dental business coach can help you to overcome.

Get to grips with your business activity with Nigel Jones and Les Jones in the latest episode of Bodcast. In it, Nigel explains the importance of measuring and analysing key data to help you to drive your business forward. Packed with tips and advice on what you need to measure and how to get started, this podcast is a must for any practice owner or practice manager. 

What you'll hear today:

• Why measurement is so important for your business
• Nigel's thoughts on why many practice owners don't actively capture data and use it as a measurement tool
• The impact that not capturing and analysing data can have on driving your business forward
• Nigel's advice on the key things that you should be measuring in your business
• The benefits of having access to key data each month
• Tips on how to start measuring in your practice.

In this episode of Bodcast, host Sian Grace is joined by Google Consultant, Naz Haque to talk about how you can get more patient enquiries through your dental practice website. 

What you'll hear today:

• How to capitalise on word of mouth referrals online
• The importance of online reviews
• The best ways to encourage patients to leave online reviews
• Tips and advice on how to win new patients though your website
• Guidance on other ways you can attract new patients online. 

Don’t miss this episode of Bodcast which explores the concept of brand with Les Jones. Listen as Les shares his expert knowledge on what brand is with host, Sales and Marketing Director, Nigel Jones and take away a greater insight into how you can successfully manage yours!

What you’ll hear today:

• Les' explanation of his understanding of the word 'brand'
• Insight into Les' views on how dental practices perceive brand
• The importance of your brand being truly reflective of the messages and personality you want to portray
• The key elements that make up your brand
• The essence of creating a memorable brand
• How to effectively involve your team in delivering your brand experience to patients.