If you were one of the many people who attended our sessions in the Dental Business Theatre or came to our stand at Dentistry Show Birmingham last weekend, we’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ as you made our time there engaging and worthwhile.
If you didn’t make it there, then here are some of the key highlights you missed….
Insightful discussion in the Dental Business Theatre
Over the years, we have gained a reputation for bringing together brilliant speakers to talk about important topics and this year was no exception. Whether it was an update on what’s coming up with regards to employment law (there’s always something) with Sarah Buxton and Mark Topley, advice on how to ensure you have a profitable practice with Andy Acton of FTA Associates and UNW’s Mike Blenkharn or how to make a safe move from NHS to private practice with dentist, Manish Chitnis and Practice Plan’s own Suki Singh, Louise Anderson and Zoe Close the information you needed was there.
However, as well as the here and now, some of our speakers looked to the future. Our ever-popular session covering the future of NHS Dentistry with the BDA’s Eddie Crouch, Shiv Pabary, Lauren Harrhy and Vijay Sudra chaired by Practice Plan Director, Nigel Jones, gave plenty of food for thought to anyone who came along. Will the care packages mentioned in the new NHS dental contract for England be introduced after all? Remains to be seen! Will dentists in Wales be able to make their new contract work? A moot point!
We were also delighted to be able to host a session on regulation, complaints and litigation where the panellists included GDC (General Dental Council) Executive Director, Regulation, Theresa Thorp, in discussion with Simon Thackeray of the BAPD (British Association of Private Dentists), Head of BDA Indemnity, Len D’Cruz and Dental Adviser, Stephen Henderson. This session was standing room only and resulted in a lively but balanced discussion about the GDC’s role as a regulator and progress on communicating and implementing its strategy for the next two years. It even got a mention on the revamped GDPUK site!
Any talk about the future of dentistry must include mention of the way technology is likely to have an influence on it. Our discussion on AI and digital tools saw Practice Plan’s Les Jones in conversation with Adam Smith of CRM company, Boxly, along with Dental Business Coaches, Michael Bentley and Chris Barrow, as well as Kish Patel and Jin Vaghela of Smile Clinic Group and Smile Dental Academy. Anyone leaving the session was left in no doubt as to how this new generation of technology could make life simpler and easier for dental teams with benefits ranging from improved call handling to clearer communication around treatment plans, to name but two.
A warm welcome, reassuring conversations and plenty of fun at the stand
Once again, Practice Plan’s stand was the place to be if you were looking to explore your options away from NHS dentistry or to move to a new dental membership plan provider. Our team of experts were on hand to speak to many NHS dental contract holders about how to introduce private dentistry into their practice regardless of where they were from in the country. We’re looking forward to continuing the process with the people we saw and hopefully, welcoming them into the Practice Plan family soon.
Following on from their success last year, we invited back our glamourous stilt walkers to come and add a bit of pizzazz. They caused quite a stir as they made their way around the hall with their bright yellow Practice Plan balloons. Our fizz bar also proved as popular as ever with speakers and some of our fellow exhibitors dropping by for a drink at the end of play on Friday. Most importantly, it also allowed us to catch up with lots of our existing clients which is something we love to do. It’s always great for us to see practice owners and their teams and to hear how their businesses are thriving as, over time, so many of them become friends as well as clients.
Everything at the show came together thanks to months of planning and hard work by a large team of people. Everyone played their part brilliantly to ensure that anyone who recorded a podcast with us or took part in the Dental Business Theatre sessions was looked after and felt valued. However, none of that would have meant anything if people hadn’t come along to listen to and participate in the sessions or came to see us at our stand. If you were one of those people, then we’d just like to say ‘Thanks a bunch’ as it wouldn’t have been the same without you!