We hear from Dr Natasha Luthra and Dr Trishna Dhot about how a strong vision and ‘incredible guidance’ helped them make their dream a reality.
Ten years ago, Dr Natasha Luthra and Dr Trishna Dhot took over a three-surgery practice in Hillingdon, called Sweetcroft Dental Practice.
For many years after the acquisition, the London Borough of Hillingdon – notorious for making planning applications difficult to obtain – would not allow them to add surgical space.
After numerous rejections and increasingly struggling with space, Luthra and Dhot felt that the only option was to work within their existing building footprint. That’s when Covid-19 hit in 2020. They desperately needed more space for staff breaks and for PPE.
At that time, the doctors had a flat on the upper floor of the building. So they chose not to renew the flat tenancy to accommodate these additional requirements.
The pair explained how they did not give up after yet another rejection. They wrote to their councillor and local MP and went through all objections with a fine tooth comb.
There were a number of challenges. This included the residential area the building was in, protected trees, and the planning department did not want to increase the footfall in the area.
Top of the list
After getting in touch with a planning officer and highlighting how they were servicing the community by increasing access to equipment and skills, their planning application was finally granted.
The flat conversion could then start. Luthra and Dhot asked their peers and friends who they would recommend to help with this. One name came up repeatedly – Pete Higson from RPA Dental – and some Internet research also put RPA on top of the list, so they contacted the company.
‘The minute we spoke with Pete, we did not feel the need to talk to anyone else,’ they said.
‘He instantly instilled us with confidence. He was so knowledgeable, so charismatic and had so many contacts. Pete had a strong vision and gave us incredible guidance. He took us to see other practices, showed us various videos of previous practice installations, and advised us on items that were not even within his scope of work. He also put us on the right path with contractors.
Fast availability
‘Pete’s availability is just unheard of, and we felt he really took us under his wing. Pete even took the time to advise us about not over investing, he was there reining us in and advising on what really added value to the business versus what did not.
‘The flat conversion allowed us to create two new surgeries, a new decontamination area, a new staff room, a new office and new treatment coordination room, and a new OPG room with cone beam.
‘RPA installed Stern Weber S220TR Hybrid and S200 units too. Interestingly we had never heard of Stern Weber chairs and were a bit worried. But we have started to see start them in other surgeries and Pete is very confident in his engineers’ abilities, as well as their fast availability whenever any technical support is needed.
‘There is also an app that can be used to see if the units have been cleaned properly, and we all know how maintenance of equipment impacts on its longevity. We are so pleased with the choices we have made.
‘Second to none’
‘Our experience of Pete’s whole team, from the project managers in the office to the engineers that came in to demonstrate how everything works has been second to none.
‘The upstairs project is now complete and we are now hoping to start a refurbishment of the downstairs. RPA Dental is an obvious company to work with us on this as soon as we are ready.
‘In the meantime, Pete has once again gone the extra mile. He offered a reconditioned chair to help us out as our existing chair downstairs is on its last legs, as we are looking at putting our finances together.
‘We are looking forward to seeing through the next phase. We will modernise all the old chairs and old cabinets and get an iTero scanner. But that is another story.
‘If you have a vision, our advice would be to put that vision in a safe pair of hands with Pete.’
For more information about Stern Webber chairs at RPA Dental please visit www.dental-equipment.co.uk/dental-chairs/stern-weber.
