Together we are stronger
A new, unified voice for Scotland’s dental practice owners has taken a significant step forward.
The Scottish Dental Practice Owners group (SDPO) group held its inaugural Annual General Meeting in October; a landmark moment for practice owners.
The atmosphere was one of palpable energy and shared purpose. For too long, dental practice owners in Scotland have navigated a challenging landscape of mounting regulation, financial pressures and legislative hurdles, often feeling isolated in their struggles. The SDPO AGM served as a powerful antidote to that isolation, forging a collective front dedicated to advocacy, support and tangible change.
The day began with Atif Bashir from the SDPO committee summarising the group’s origins. He reminded attendees that the SDPO was in the crucible of the COVID-19 pandemic. “SDPO was originally formed as a help group for practice owners during the COVID lockdown to help navigate Government policy related to practice closure,” Bashir explained.
But the group’s mission quickly expanded beyond self-preservation. In a moving moment, Bashir highlighted the community spirit that has always been at the group’s core. “In addition, I am proud to say together we raised £10,000 and used it to buy and deliver PPE to care homes. To everyone involved in that effort, thank you.”
This grassroots, collective action demonstrated the latent power of a unified practice owners group. Recognising this potential, the group formally constituted as a limited company in August 2020, laying the groundwork for the body it is becoming today. “Those attending in person and those joining us online,” Bashir addressed the room, “welcome to our first AGM.”
The formal presentations provided a stark, data-driven analysis of the current environment while charting a course for a more secure future.
Kevin Strain from Christie & Co opened the session with a detailed discussion on practice values, offering crucial insights into the factors that drive market perception and financial worth in today’s volatile climate. This was followed by a vital presentation from Victoria Forbes of Scottish Dental Accountants, who dissected the financial health of dental practices, offering clarity and strategies for navigating the complex economic pressures facing the sector.
The morning session was rounded off by Girish Bharadwaj from the SDPO committee, who delivered
a critically important update on the group’s strategic advocacy work, focusing specifically on Regulation 22.
For those unfamiliar, Regulation 22 of the National Health Service (General Dental Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2010 empowers the Scottish Ministers to make and amend Statements of Dental Remuneration (SDRs) – the very lifeblood of NHS practice finances – but only after consulting “with such organisations as appear to them to be representative of persons providing general dental services.”
Bharadwaj explained the SDPO’s strategic position: as a newly established but rapidly growing entity, the group is on a clear trajectory. If it continues to thrive and grow, any future refusal by the Scottish Ministers to consult with the SDPO for the purposes of Regulation 22 could be challenged by way of judicial review. The grounds would be that such a refusal was wholly unreasonable, given that the SDPO had demonstrably grown into a truly representative organisation. This is a bold and calculated legal stance, based on advocate opinion signalling the SDPO’s intent to secure a permanent seat at the table where the most critical financial decisions are made.
Following a break where attendees networked with sponsors over light refreshments, the event transitioned into its formal AGM. It was here that Atif Bashir laid out the compelling, overarching vision for the SDPO with crystal clarity. “We are all having the same problems,” he stated. “We cannot solve those problems as individual practice owners.”
He pinpointed a key issue resonating with every owner in the room: “Currently, anyone anywhere can open an NHS Dental Practice if they pass a practice inspection, irrespective of whether it’s right next door to you.” This unsustainable model, he argued, has a direct precedent. “These are all the same problems pharmacy owners faced in the 1980s. We want to follow their road map. They formed a unified owners’ group and together they forced the Government to change legislation that stopped that happening.”
This historical analogy forms the bedrock of the SDPO’s strategy. By building a single, powerful and unified body, the group believes it can achieve what is impossible for individual practices:
- Advocate for change to legislation to introduce a ‘necessity’ test for new NHS contract awards.
- Advocate for practice owners to own the patient list, providing business stability and asset value.
- Negotiate better NHS terms directly with the government from a position of collective strength.
- Negotiate better deals with suppliers, finance, and insurance companies, leveraging the purchasing power of hundreds of practices.
- Lower practice overheads across the board, allowing owners to reinvest savings into their teams, technology and patient care.
“Our next step is simple,” Bashir concluded, “every dental practice owner in Scotland must sign up on the website, creating a unified owners’ group that will be impossible for the Scottish Government to ignore.”
Find out more at www.sdpo.org.uk
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