NHS to Private

Although location can play a part in the success of a conversion from NHS to private dentistry, what matters more is your relationship with your patients, how you communicate the change, and how well your team supports it.

Practice Plan work with practices across the UK and in a wide range of settings. From busy cities to remote villages, we’ve seen private dentistry thrive in all kinds of environments.

They’ll help you assess your patient base and determine what’s realistic and guide you on how to position your plans, so they resonate with your community.

It’s a natural concern, and one of the biggest questions dentists ask. The truth is, you may end up with fewer patients but it’s unlikely you’ll lose many.

What patients value is the relationship they’ve built with you. So, if you explain to them clearly your reasons for making the move and how it benefits them, you’ll find many are happy to stay with you.

If you are going through a full conversion from NHS to private, you will need to lose some patients. One of the main benefits of moving to private dentistry is being able to spend more time with each patient. If you’re booking longer appointments, then it makes sense you’ll be able to see fewer patients in a day. So, you’ll need fewer patients for a viable business.

Practice Plan will help calculate what your patient base needs to look like to remain financially sustainable and support you to develop communication plans to help retain the loyalty of your current patients.

Getting your team on board early is essential to a successful transition from NHS to private dentistry. They need to feel fully involved in the change.

Practice Plan will help you to communicate clearly to your team the reasons for the change and how it benefits them, your patients and the practice as a whole.

Practice Plan also provide training and coaching to make sure they’re confident when talking to patients about the change.

Maintaining your patients’ trust is essential so, be clear and honest with them.

Practice Plan can help formulate a friendly message to your patients that explains:

• Why you’re moving away from the NHS
• How this benefits them (longer appointments, guaranteed access and continuity of care)
• What they can expect from a membership plan
• How much it will cost and how they sign up.

Practice Plan can also provide letter templates, FAQs, brochures and other in-practice materials. This can help guarantee your message is consistent and easy to understand, no matter what the format.

When it comes to setting your fees, we’ll help you get it right.

Practice Plan will talk you through breaking down your practice costs, patient needs and business goals and help you construct a pricing structure that both reflects the value you offer and is affordable and competitive.

Practice Plan will help you design a sustainable model that supports your financial goals, rewards your time and expertise, and ensures your patients receive excellent care and service.

Absolutely! Practice Plan can tailor your plans to suit the individual needs of your practice and your patients’ needs. Whether you want them to cover basic preventive care or more comprehensive options, Practice Plan will guide you through things and help you design plans that feel right for your business and your patient base. What’s more, Practice Plan can even customise plans individually to suit each dentist on your team if needed.

If, over time you want to adapt your plans, you’ll have the flexibility to do that too.

Although every practice is different, Practice Plan tend to break down the process into five key stages:

1. Understanding your current situation

First of all, Practice Plan get to know your practice inside out. Practice Plan will look at your NHS contract, your patient base, team structure, finances and goals. This is so they get a clear picture of your current circumstances.

2. Exploring your options and planning ahead

Once they’ve got all the information they need, they carry out a full risk and viability assessment, including income replacement calculations, to help you make a fully informed decision.

3. Communicating with your patients

How you communicate the change to your patients can have a bearing on the success of your conversion. Practice Plan will work with you to explain to your patients your reasons for making the change, the benefits to them of membership, and how things will work so that your patients feel reassured and supported.

4. Support during and after the move

Practice Plan will be on hand to train your team so that they’re confident and ready to help guide your patients through the change. They’ll help you put everything you need in place – from setting up your plan admin to creating a new patient journey. They’ll also co-ordinate any written materials and they have an in-house team that can create marketing materials branded to your practice.

Once Practice Plan have helped you make the move to private dentistry our support continues through regular reviews and guidance. They’re in it for the long haul.

5. Help to keep building your business

Once your plan has gone live your dedicated RSM (Regional Support Manager) and Relationship Support Advisor (RSA) will continue to support you. Their field team has more than 300 years’ worth of experience in dentistry, so they’re well placed to help you develop your practice and build a thriving business. They’re only ever a phone call away if you need advice, guidance or reassurance.

You can do things gradually if you choose and for many practices, adopting a phased approach works well for them.

You can do this either by introducing a membership plan alongside your NHS work or by gradually tapering your NHS hours while you grow your private patient list.

Practice Plan will help you work out the best way for you based on your goals and capacity so that it works for you financially.

Everything in life is a risk, including doing nothing sometimes. That’s why everything Practice Plan does focuses on making the move as safely and sustainably as possible.

As part of their five-step process, they conduct in-depth viability assessments, run income replacement calculations and model different scenarios based on the data they glean from your practice.

If Practice Plan spot any red flags, they’ll discuss them with you and look at ways you can work together to overcome those challenges, whether that’s through additional training or adapting your conversion timeline.

However, if a full move to private dentistry is wrong for your practice, they’ll tell you straight. Practice Plan will never push you into something that isn’t right for you or that you’re not comfortable with. Their approach is honest and always with your best interests at heart. It’s your business, so you’re in control.

If you’d like to speak to a practice owner who has already gone through the process, then Practice Plan can put you in touch with someone in your area. It can be reassuring to hear about someone else’s experience.

You absolutely will. Once you’ve introduced your plan Practice Plan work closely with you to ensure it’s well received and a success.

Their creative in-house team will design a full suite of marketing materials for you, including:

• Welcome packs
• Patient letters and email templates
• Bespoke posters and leaflets
• Digital content for your website and social media
• Support with wording and messaging to keep everything clear and on brand.

Also, you can always call on your Regional Support Manager for advice or ideas whenever you need it.

What sets Practice Plan apart from other plan providers is the ongoing support we offer and it’s something we’re really proud of.

After your plan goes live, as well as regular contact with your dedicated Regional Support Manager and Relationship Support Adviser, you’ll also have access to:

• Business coaching and financial reviews
• Ongoing team training and development
• Exclusive webinars, events and workshops for the whole team
• Design and marketing support.

As well as all this, you’ll have access to our online plan management system, Supportal, for your practice so you can keep an eye on how your plan’s performing and get valuable management information. And, your patients will also be able to use a digital portal, MyPlan, so they can view their plan and make simple changes to their details without having to contact the practice.

Our practices tell us they feel as if they’re part of one big family and that’s a compliment we’ll accept gratefully.