Practice Plan Regional Support Managers – over 250 years of experience

Zoe Close, Practice Plan’s Head of Sales, talks about the years of experience her team has in converting practices from NHS to private dentistry– and how they can help you achieve your dreams…

Our experience

Making changes in your business, especially significant ones such as moving from NHS to private, is a big decision.

It can be useful in these instances to have some expert advice and guidance from beyond your practice – someone who can look at the business from a fresh perspective.

That’s where our team of 22 Regional Support Managers (RSMs) come in.

With a combined experience of 256 years, most of which have been spent working in dental practices and other healthcare settings, they understand exactly what your challenges and concerns will be.

Over the years, if not decades, that our RSMs have been working for Practice Plan, they’ve helped hundreds of dentists to make these kind of changes. Which means they know what it involves, will work to your pace, and can hold your hand every step of the way.

Is a move to private dentistry right for you?

If you’re considering making a similar change and moving from NHS to private dentistry, the very first step on that journey with us is to work out if it is the right move.

One of our key principles is that we never encourage anyone to make the transition to private dentistry if it isn’t right for them.

Which doesn’t mean it will never be the right move to make. Sometimes there might be other measures that need putting in place first to ensure you are in the best position possible to achieve the right outcome.

We have a range of factors that we look at and our RSMs work with dentists to focus on  their individual needs, and carry out assessments and audits to make sure it’s the right way to achieve your goals.

This is key to our ethos which is all around providing the flexibility to bespoke our approach, our plans and our support based on your specific needs.

A fresh perspective

Whether you are a newly private dentist, a well-established practice or running a mixed practice, having another person to lean on, or someone to bounce ideas off and help you make decisions, can be a great pillar of support.

Especially if that person has years of experience both in dental practices and supporting them from the outside.

Our support doesn’t stop once the plan is in place. We continue helping you to grow your plan and attract new members.

We’re there to bring your team on board, explain the vision behind introducing a plan, ensuring everyone understands the benefits to you and your patients, and help to plan a journey that is right for your practice.

We saw just how important having a well-populated membership plan in place was during the first lockdown, when practices were able to rely on their monthly income while the business was closed.

Hopefully we never have to face that situation again, but knowing you have that financial lifeline in place was a huge relief to our practices during a time when it was much needed.

Part of the team

Beyond the plan and the pandemic, we’re able to support you with whatever you need to run your practice smoothly and efficiently – whether that’s compliance-related, a HR issue, recruitment training or communication skills, etc.

As well as our RSMs being highly experienced, Practice Plan has been successfully supporting practices for over 25 years. We have a lot of know-how both in-house and through our strong network of external experts and consultants who can provide you with all the advice and resources you might need.

That’s why we often end up being described by our members as an extra member of their team. We hear that a lot, and it’s genuinely the highest compliment someone can give us.

Everyone knows that dentistry is all about the relationship between you and your patients. And, as corny as it may sound, that’s exactly how we feel.

Working with dentists is not just a transaction to us, and our dentists and their teams don’t see it that way either.

We build a relationship together where we get under the skin of their business and support them to overcome obstacles and build their practice up. We’re in it for the long haul and can help at every stage of the practice’s life.

Dentistry is constantly evolving, which means running a practice is a continuous learning experience to keep up with the changes.

If you’re thinking of introducing a plan and would like support that lasts in the long term, you can contact us on call 01691 684165 or go to www.practiceplan.co.uk/nhs

About Zoe Close

Zoe Close is Head of Sales at Practice Plan, a leading provider of practice-branded dental plans. Zoe has 36 years’ experience in the dental sector including as group business manager for a corporate group, dental nurse, head receptionist and practice manager.