LCIAD Academy Private Practice Course Module 10: Practice growth, development, marketing and succession

• Are you confident in your ethos, message and teambuilding skills?
• Do your team love being at work or is it just a job?
• Do you feel that your practice well managed or is or is there room for improvement and if so what needs to be improved?
• Do the principles and associates at the practice all understand the need for cooperation and their respective responsibilities?
• Do you feel overwhelmed by your patients’ demands?
• Have you ever had issues where a small miscommunication led to a bigger problem later?
• Are you reticent to discuss fees?
• Do you have a long-term plan for practice succession and retirement?
• Do you ever feel there is inadequate time or money for proper marketing of your skills?

The objective of this course is to prepare colleagues for successful private practice.

Whether coming into private practice for the first time as an associate, transitioning from the NHS, setting up a partnership or becoming a principal in your own practice for the first time, planning and organising your first practice and the rest of your career can seem a daunting task. Or maybe it seems simple until you start and the reality is very different from what you envisaged.

This course aims to prepare and educate our colleagues on the scope of modern private practice ownership and cover multiple salient topics that are often overlooked or poorly understood with open discussion, advice, and contributions from well-known guest speakers with extensive experience in assisting colleagues achieve their ideal practice environment.

Your private practice reputation will be built on the service and care you provide your patients and how you make them feel as well as the quality of your clinical care.

The best practices are greater than the sum of their parts and involve optimising a vast number of details in the day-to-day running of the practice. This includes everything from recruiting the right calibre and personality of team member, to establishing and honing good practice protocols and consistency and all understanding the message that is sent out to patients and referring colleagues.

Whilst the clinical care provided at the practice is of paramount importance, this care can only be provided to patients that trust and appreciate the value of the practice that they attend because they know they will be well looked after.

The Big Picture

• Introduction to the course, aims and objectives.
• Having very clear written values, ethics and objectives in your practice.
• Finding, recruiting and retaining the best team members.
• Providing a rewarding working environment for the whole team.
• Understanding the associate/principal relationship and the fine balance of responsibilities and needs of both sides.
• Ensuring the practice is run as a good business and making tough decisions.
• Options for succession and preparing the practice for handover at the end of your career.

The Objectives -What short, medium and long terms plans do you need to make to ensure a successful practice for the long term?

The importance of reputation and quality standards for sustained practice growth.
The importance of looking after patients and making them feel valued.
The role of all team members and patients in always developing the practice – founding a dental family where everybody works to improve one thing each day.
Cost effectiveness of different marketing approaches. Who are we marketing to and what we hope to achieve?
Choosing your patient base and the appropriate use of different social media and communication platforms for engaging with new patients that are suitable for your type of practice.
Associate relationships and nurturing productive and content associate colleagues whilst remaining in control of practice management.
The importance of long-term team members and knowledge, experience and trust accrued over years of practice.
The importance of a rainy-day fund and ensuring sufficient finances are available for improvements, upgrades and unforeseen stresses on the practice over time.
Planning your retirement and withdrawal from the practice without crashing the ambulance.
Understanding your position in the market and deciding whether to sell to your associates, or outside third party such as a corporate. 12
Calculating what is required to be able to retire and the role of an excellent financial adviser

The Preparation -How do you build the best team and ensure that the practice becomes greater than the sum of its parts?

• The importance of interviewing, assessing and recruiting the right team members.
• The importance of recruiting the right associates.
• The importance of understanding the finances of your practice and taking tough decisions to ensure that the practice remains financially viable during periods of stress.
• Organising meaningful, productive and inclusive team meetings where your team develop a vested interest in the success of the practice and has the opportunity to feedback on aspects of the practice that the principal or the associates may not see.
• Recruiting the right people to represent you for marketing and team training and coaching.
• Planning for retirement and succession well in advance of when you wish to actually retire.

The Method – What are the practical steps you need to take and never compromise on to ensure continued success?

• Write down and make available your practice values, ethos, personal beliefs and why you feel your practice is special and provides a superior level of patient care in every aspect. Stick to these.
• Recruit team members with care. Team members need to get on well and trust each other and grow together in a well led and well managed environment. Have stringent evaluation and assessment protocols and do not employ or continue employing those that do not live up to practice values or lose trust in the practice amongst their colleagues.
• Measure the effects of your marketing and do what works best. Be critical of how you are seen and obtain as much honest feedback as possible from your patients and referring colleagues.
• Ensure that employment contracts and associate and hygienist contracts remain relevant, up-to-date and representative of the relative responsibilities incumbent on each party.
• Include the team in financial discussions and planning so that they are aware of the costs of running the practice and do not just see the money coming in. They may be able to assist in reducing costs in areas where you are not aware.
• The difference between rewarding performance and performance – based rewards.
• Plan for succession at least seven years before you intend to retire – it is likely that anyone purchasing your practice will want you to stay on for at least a few years to make a smooth transition.
• Recruiting experienced and knowledgeable marketing and coaching partners who get to know your practice over a period of time and can hone their advice to improve overall team performance and the value of your practice over time.

Course structure, timetable and content detail

Day 1

08:30 Registration

9:00 Lecture 1: Dr Koray Feran: Values, ethics and “mission statement”. Unique points about you and your practice. Helping others to understand why you are special and ensuring that all team members subscribe to these values with you and increase your reputation over time.

10:15 Coffee break

10:45 Lecture 2: Dr Koray Feran / Dr Jane Lelean: The psychology of staff and patient recruitment. A scientific and systematic approach to understanding people and what makes them behave in a certain way.

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Lecture 3: Dr Jane Lelean: The psychology of staff and patient recruitment. A scientific and systematic approach to understanding people and what makes them behave in a certain way.

14:45 Coffee break

15:15 Lecture 4: Dr Jane Lelean: The psychology of staff and patient recruitment. A scientific and systematic approach to understanding people and what makes them behave in a certain way.

17:00: Questions

17:30 End

Day 2

08:30 Registration

9:00 Lecture 1: Mark Oborn: Marketing – Black hole or fountain of youth? Insights about what works and what doesn’t work in dental marketing

10:15 Coffee break

10:45 Lecture 2: Mark Oborn: Marketing platforms and optimising the practices message and content creation for maximum impact.

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Lecture 3: Marketing platforms and optimising the practices message and content creation for maximum impact continued.

14:45 Coffee break

15:15 Lecture 4: Dr Koray Feran / Dr Jane Lelean / Mark Oborn : Open discussion and questions

17:30 End

This two-day course provides the insights of an experienced clinician, an experienced marketer and an experienced practice coach with 3 decades of experience each in the dental industry. It is a unique opportunity to really delve into the factors that can decide the long-term success of your dream and practicing success outside just the clinical care that you provide. It is guaranteed to be two days of very valuable insight that might just change your life!

Password-protected PDF presentations will be shared with all delegates the day before the course.

Course Days:

Day 1-2 – NSK UK Headquarters, Hertford House, Rutherford Cl, Stevenage SG1 2EF

Google maps location:

You do not need to bring anything for this module apart from an open and inquisitive mind and a willingness to share your thoughts and ask questions.

In the interests of reducing large amounts of printing for environmental reasons and to keep the costs of the course as low as possible, your presentations will be sent to you as a restricted sharing and password-protected PDF document the evening before the course for you to be able to make digital notes as we go.

We strongly advised that you also have a personal subscription to Adobe Acrobat Pro for maximum flexibility with how you interact with your PDF course notes, though in the first instance Adobe Reader which is free of charge will allow access with more limited functionality.

Type of CPD (A,B,C or D) based on GDP Enhanced CPD development outcome requirements

21 hours of CPD

Development outcomes in bold

A
Effective communication with patients, the dental team and others across dentistry, including when obtaining consent, dealing with complaints, and raising concerns when patients are at risk.

B
Effective management of self and effective management of others or effective work with others in the dental team, in the interests of patients, providing constructive leadership where appropriate.

C
Maintenance and development of knowledge and skill within your field(s) of practice.

D
Maintenance of skills, behaviours and attitudes which maintain patient confidence in you and the dental profession and put patients’ interests first.

Brand new course from 2027

Course fees are charged at £795 a day for dental surgeons (£1,590).

Delegates are also encourageed to bring up to 2 team membares (Practice manager (PM) Treatment co-ordinator (TCO/ Patient Care Co-Ordinator (PCC) and / or Dental Nurse (RDN) at £295 per team member.

The course module is restricted to 20 dental surgeons.

Lunch and teas / coffees will be served each day and your dietary requirements can be indicated on the accompanying booking form.