Month: October 2023

Todays Dental snaps up successful Birmingham practice

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Harborne Dental Practice in Birmingham.

This highly profitable, three-surgery, predominantly private dental practice is located in the affluent Birmingham suburb of Harborne. It was previously owned by Dr Kirsty Robinson and was brought to market to enable Kirsty to concentrate on her clinical dentistry and release the pressures of practice ownership.

Following a confidential sale process with Steve O’Connor at Christie & Co, the business has been purchased by Todays Dental, a fast-growing, national corporate group.

Dr Kirsty Robinson, former owner of Harborne Dental Practice, comments, “In seeking a buyer to take the practice to the next level, Todays Dental was the perfect fit for a number of reasons. Their ethos was one which truly aligned with mine – focusing on the happiness and care of the patients and team, some of whom I have worked with for over 25 years. They also offered an exciting and collaborative package, building and expanding on what we had achieved. Steve Williams, Acquisitions Director at the group, took time to address my concerns in our initial meetings and the Todays Dental team provided support and open communication as the sale progressed, resulting in a smooth and positive transaction.”

Steve Williams, Acquisitions Director at Todays Dental, comments, “Todays Dental is delighted to be partnering with the Harborne Dental team and excited to continue the same values and ethos already instilled within the practice. Kirsty’s passion for her patients and her team is extremely infectious and we are so privileged to have acquired such an amazing practice.”

Steve O’Connor, Associate Director – Dental at Christie & Co, comments, “It was a pleasure to act for Kirsty on the sale of Harborne Dental Practice. The amount of interest the practice generated is a testament to the hard work Kirsty has put in over the years, resulting in the practice having a wide appeal from individual purchasers, regional groups, and national corporates alike. I’m delighted that Kirsty was able to find an ideal buyer and I wish her and Todays Dental the very best.

“Despite the sector facing some headwinds, this sale further demonstrates that the demand for high-quality dental practices remains strong.”

Harborne Dental Practice was sold for an undisclosed price.

NHS dentistry isn’t working: PM pressed to act on access crisis at conference

With government yet to honour pledges for a rescue plan for the ailing NHS dental service, the British Dental Association has taken the message directly to delegates at the Conservative Party Conference. 

As the host city joining the growing list of communities seeing patients queuing round the block to access care, the professional body has adapted the Party’s iconic ‘Labour isn’t working’ poster to underline the depth of the crisis now facing patients. 

Last month in Leigh, Greater Manchester, daily queues starting as early as 4am were reported outside the Avenue Dental Centre, which offers appointments to NHS patients on a first-come-first-serve basis. This follows reports in August from Faversham, Kent, where a practice received 27,000 calls for just 60 NHS slots, and in Kings Lynn which in May saw queues of more than 300 form from 4am. 

During last summer’s leadership bid Rishi Sunak pledged to “restore” NHS dentistry, with a vow to address the “unprecedented pressure” the service is under. Minor tweaks to the discredited contract fuelling the exodus of dentists from the NHS were announced in July 2022 under the Johnson administration and finally rolled out in October 2022 under the Truss administration. No part of the PM’s ‘5 point plan’ – which included a pledge to reform contracts to keep dentists in the NHS – has since been taken forward. 

Ahead of a bruising evidence session with the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee in April 2023, the government pledged a Recovery Plan for the service. Widely expected before summer recess, it remained unpublished as parliament broke for conference season. In July the Committee concluded its inquiry, describing the state of the service as “unacceptable in the 21st century”, and set out recommendations to government for real, urgent reform, alongside a call for the recovery plan to be underpinned by necessary funding. The Government’s response to the inquiry has been overdue since 14 September 2023.

Analysis undertaken by the BDA of recent government data indicates unmet need for dentistry in 2023 stands at over 12 million people, up a million on 2022 figures, and now well over one in four of England’s adult population. Over six million adults tried and failed to get an appointment in the past two years, and 4.4 million simply did not try because they thought they could not secure one. Those put off by cost are now equivalent to over 1.1 million adults, those on waiting lists estimated at around 600,000.

British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said: “While Ministers drag their heels on a rescue plan, patients are queuing from the crack of dawn and many dentists are giving up hope of change. Rishi Sunak ran for the top job with a promise to ‘restore’ NHS dentistry, and so far that promise is being broken. If this government fails to step up there may not be a service left to save.”

Enhance your skills with BES membership

Being a member of the British Endodontic Society (BES) offers not just access to the latest information and research but also gives you the opportunity to join a supportive, proactive organisation that can help build your career in the field.

The BES aims to promote and advance endodontology and provides a range of educational courses and hands-on workshops, an annual Regional Meeting together with an annual Spring Scientific Meeting which gives members the chance to network with some of the leading endodontists from around the world.

There are different levels of membership available with UK Full Membership starting at £135 per year (which includes online journal access) and UK Postgraduate Membership at £65 per year. To join and start benefiting from the many advantages available, visit the website today. 

 For more information about the BES, or to join, please visit www.britishendodonticsociety.org.uk

Chairsyde is the ONLY dental company recognised by the NHS at 75

The state-of-the-art Chairsyde consultation platform was the ONLY dental organisation to be recognised as an Official Partner in the ‘Celebrating 75 Years of the National Health Service’ campaign.

This prestigious accolade is a testament to Chairsyde’s ability to engage patients in their dental care for enhanced oral health.

One of just 75 organisations to be commended by the NHS, Chairsyde is being celebrated for changing the game when it comes to patient education. Given the breadth of companies involved with facilitating the delivery of NHS services, it is an extraordinary achievement for the organisation.

Loven Ganeswaran, Founder of Chairsyde, commented:

“We are incredibly proud to have received this recognition from the NHS. It is a symbol of how passionate we are about delivering a technology that caters to the needs of dental professionals, while genuinely enhancing the care that patients receive. Already a widely used technology in the private dental sector, it is a privilege to be the only dental organisation celebrated by the NHS on its 75-year anniversary.”

For more information, or to book a demo, please visit www.chairsyde.com

or call 020 3951 8360

New workforce data must drive new approach to tackling crisis in NHS, says BDA

The British Dental Association has responded to changes to NHS England’s workforce data collection, stressing new numbers must underpin effective strategies for easing the crisis in NHS dentistry. 

Traditional approaches have counted heads, not commitment, giving a dentist doing one NHS check-up a year the same weight as an NHS full-timer.

In England NHS dentist numbers are over 500 down since lockdown, but BDA surveys indicate over half of dentists have reduced their NHS commitment since 2020, a movement going unseen in official figures. NHS England will now be seeking data bi-annually on headcount, NHS contracted hours, as well as vacant posts. More detail on the new approach is available here.

Shawn Charlwood, Chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee said:

“Clearly any new paperwork will create some administrative burdens for practices. And that is precisely why we need to see these figures put to work.

“This data needs to start driving effective decision-making across dentistry.

“Used appropriately it can show where the real ‘dental deserts’ actually are. It must support evidence-based workforce planning and illustrate the real pressures practices are under.”

Eschmann Presents the Enbio Vacuum Autoclave…

The Enbio ‘B’ type autoclave from Eschmann provides the ideal solution for efficient handpiece sterilisation. It offers fast cycles in as little as 7 minutes for unwrapped instruments and 15 minutes for wrapped instruments.

For eco-friendly peace of mind, the Enbio Magic Filter allows you to reduce water consumption.

The easy-to-use unit features USB digital cycle logging, intuitive software and a modern touchscreen, which all save time and enable efficient workflows for the professional team. In addition, the 2.7 litre chamber provides capacity for 8 instrument pouches at a time and it’s quiet at 40<dB (the same as an electric toothbrush).

To find out more, contact the Eschmann team today!

For more information on the highly effective and affordable range of infection control products from Eschmann,

please visit www.eschmann.co.uk or call 01903 875787

 

Aerona welcomes Mark Garner

Aerona is delighted to have welcomed Mark Garner as General Manager.

Mark brings with him extensive experience, having worked in the dental profession for almost three decades. His understanding about practice management systems and how they impact dental teams is second-to-none. We are looking forward to working with Mark as we continue broadening our support for the dental profession through innovative software solutions and exceptional customer services.

Mark says:

“I believe at Aerona we are big enough to cope and small enough to care – this ethos is exactly right for both me and the business. We are solely focused on the UK & Ireland, with no distractions from overseas and a specialist, dedicated UK-based team. Basically, we want to offer more choice for comprehensive cloud-based software, filling the gap that is currently in the UK market.”

Aerona is already a leading cloud-based practice management software, offering intuitive, highly secure and efficient technology that benefits businesses of any shape or size. This, coupled with our world-class customer support, makes Aerona the ideal choice for many dental practices. Find out more today.

For more information, please visit aerona.com