DO YOU HAVE A DREAM? ROBERT

WARD SHARES HIS AND DESCRIBES

HOW HE MADE IT COME TRUE

54 Private Dentistry Dec/Jan 2006

Robert Ward BDS, LDS, RCS(Eng),MSc qualified from the RoyalLondon Hospital in 1992. After astint in general practice, he enrolledat the Eastman Dental Institutewhere he completed an MSc inperiodontology in 1997. Robert wasappointed senior dentist at BootsDentalcare in Bedford in 1999 andwas accredited specialist status inperiodontology in 2001

Personal view

HOWI DID IT

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my practice. Even at this early stage I was convincedthat this was the beginning of an exciting andinteresting journey.

LOCATION

I chose Milton Keynes becauseof the investment and growthpotential. New businesses, newleisure complexes and agrowing number of residentialdevelopments were all factorsI wanted to capitalise on. Thearea was positively buzzingwith excitement.

The premises appealed tome because of its location andspaciousness - it had greatpotential. Locally, there wasalready a medical centre, apodiatry clinic, a chiropractor,an alternative therapist and ahost of shops. Ample freeparking completed the picture.

KEY APPOINTMENTS

If I had any chance ofcompleting this projectsuccessfully, I knew that I hadto put in place key companiesand people, both to help meundertake the work and toorganise the finance for myinvestment. I also wanted toenjoy working with the peopleI appointed. For me this was tobe an experience of a lifetimeand I wanted to surroundmyself with people who shared my vision and high expectations.

My first key appointmentwas to be someone who Itrusted with my ideas and whowould help me with a businessplan, finance and would giveme honest and professionaladvice. This was to be AndyActon, managing director ofFT Associates, who has provedto be a most valuable ally.

The next stage was to findan architect who would put myideas for a 21st century

purpose-built surgery intopractice. After interviewingseveral designers I choseRichard Mitzman. I was veryimpressed with his previousprojects and felt that hisenthusiasm and attention todetail would mirror myaspirations for the practice. Icommissioned Richard todesign the practice two months before the finance was finalised.

I knew that I would needhelp with branding andmarketing as I wanted all

aspects of the practice to havethe same high-quality, cuttingedge feel and look. I alsoneeded a marketing approachthat would be lively, robustand would help me reap thebenefits of my investment andhard work. I commissioned amarketing company that I feltcould take me forward.

THE DAY-TO-DAY REALITY

Having a dream is great – it isnot tarnished by any worries ornegative circumstances, but

My dream was realised on 17January 2005 with the openingof Aspects Dental andReferrals. I set out to buildand create a practice that hadmagical ingredients and Ithink I have more thanachieved this. To accomplishthis goal I was prepared to putlarge amounts of both timeand money behind the project.I wanted an exceptional dentalpractice that was also a centreof excellence for specialistdental services and I am proudto say that this has beenachieved - we now have an oasis with a unique wow factor.

The practice has twodistinct markets – a dentalpractice that offers high-quality care and services to itspatients and a referral centrefor specialist services inperiodontology, oral surgery,endodontics, prosthodonticsand implantology.

When I look back to thecompletion of my MSc inperiodontology, I realise I havecome a long way. It was at thatpoint that I decided I wantedto open my own practice. Myprevious experience hadserved me well. For four yearsI was senior dentist at BootsDental Care in Bedford. Bootstried to attract the bestdentists, employed hygienistsand also employed andpromoted dental specialists.These were the essentialelements for my own practice– I worked and learned. In2003 I decided the time wasright for me to buy a practiceof my own and turn mydreams into a reality.

In December 2003 I went tosee a 1,600-square-footdeserted first floor officespace in Shenley Church End,Milton Keynes. This dayturned out to be the beginningof a yearlong project thatculminated in the opening of

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is used in conjunction with theVistascan, to give digitisedimages. A vacuum sterilisermade by W&H is essential forthe surgical procedures carriedout in the practice.

The patient lounge isequipped with a 42” plasmascreen. We also have in-surgery music, provided by theImerge hard disc musicsystem, which stores a massive250 CDs.

It was at this stage Irealised I needed to startbuilding a firm foundation formy practice team. I wasexceptionally fortunate to findan excellent practice managerin Pat Fogden, who was anexperienced practice managerfor Boots Dentalcare. She notonly shared my vision but wasa great sounding board for me.We also started to holdmeetings with other futureteam members includinghygienist Carol Sumner andnurse Claudette Murrell.

SMALL AREAS FOR

CONCERN

As the project unfolded, therewere a couple of areas thatslightly concerned me. If I was to undertake anotherproject of this kind, I wouldmake changes.

Firstly, finance. I includedmy bank manager innegotiations with the architectand builder. We talked fixedprice contract. This is wherethe contract cost for thebuilding work is agreed andthere are penalties for over-runs. This allows for carefulplanning of the funding. Iagreed a fixed price but therewas not a clause for over-runs.The project ran over by one month.

Secondly, operationalissues. An investment of thissize really does require a fulltime project manager. The

architect acted as a projectmanager for the buildingworks and in addition I had thehelp of Chris Davies fromCDM (Construction DesignManagement) and Pat Fogdenmy practice manager. I was notable to work very much forone month during this projectdue to the death of my fatherand Amit Gadhavi stepped inas clinical director for thistime. Everybody was superb inco-ordinating and helping theproject move forward.

AT LAST

On 17 January 2005 thepractice finally opened.Everything had been

worthwhile - it was theculmination of a diverse andchallenging project thatrequired meticulous planning.We had a launch eveningwhere Ellis Paul officiallyopened the practice and I wasdelighted with the results. Iwanted to create a wowpractice and referral centre and I was so overjoyed at the outcome.

THE GREAT ASPECTS

Now that the project isfinished I can look back andassess. The look, the feel andthe overall ambience of thepractice is just how I imaginedit to be in my vision.

the reality can sometimes bedifferent. As I worked on thisproject day-to-day I never lostmy vision, but managing aproject of this size is verydemanding and it is imperativethat you keep a keen eye onevery area so that costs andtime do not run away. Timeequals money.

After submitting mybusiness plan to several bankson the recommendation ofAndy Acton, I finally decidedon my means of finance. Withhis help we negotiated a dealthat I was happy with andwould successfully finance theproject, although I quicklyrealised that financialgoalposts need to be flexible!

As the project progressed,builders, interior designers andequipment suppliers wereappointed. Each newappointment meant that wewere moving forward andprogressing, the project wasgaining momentum and Icould actually see results.

Equipping a surgery is oneof the important and fun partsof creating a good dentalenvironment. I wantedinnovative, well-designedequipment to complement myultra modern practice. The twosurgeries are fitted with robustand reliable Belmont 2Voyager chairs. In surgery one,where the endodontist works,there is an Optima electricmotor. This allows accuratetorques for his nickel titaniumburs. In addition he routinely uses the Global G3dental microscope.

A decision was made tomake the practice digital. Allof our systems arecomputerised, using Softwareof Excellence. The radiographsare digital, using the DürrVistascan to transfer theimages from the plates to thescreens in the surgeries. Thereis a Satelec OPG machine that

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CCOONNTTAACCTTSS

Takara Belmont Belmont HouseOne St Andrew’s WayBow, LondonE3 3PA0207 51503330207 9873596www.takara.co.uk/dentalw

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ImergeUnit 6Bar Hill Business ParkSaxon WayBar Hill, Cambridge CB3 8SL01954 78360001954 783601www.imerge.co.ukw

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W&H (UK) Unit 6, Stroud Wood BusinessCentrePark Street St Albans, Hertfordshire AL2 2NJ01727 87499001727 874628

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Software of Excellence The Branden OastStaplehurst RoadMardenKent,TN12 9BT01580 89004601580 893338sales@soeuk.comw

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DB Dental Equipment (Satalec products)

53 Smithy Carr LaneBrighouseWest Yorkshire HD6 4BG01484 401015 01484 401018www.dbdental.co.ukw

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Dürr Dental 01933 671990t

The Dental ImagingCompany (Satalec products)

07050 652250www.thedentalimagingcompany.co.uk

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DP Medical Systems (for Global G3 dental microscope)

Merlin House46 Oakcroft RoadChessington, SurreyKT9 1RH0208 391 44550208 397 1262www.dpmedicalsys.comw

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Frank Taylor AssociatesBrosnan House179 Darkes LanePotters BarHerts EN6 1BW01707 65326001707 644521www.ft-associates.comw

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Richard Mitzman + Yates Unit 1, Primrose MewsSharpleshall StreetLondon NW1 8YW0207 72285250207 4490428www.richardmitzman.comw

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Bien Air63 The StreetCapel, SurreyRH5 5JZ01306 711303www.bienair.com

CDM (Construction DesignManagement)0845 3450055www.hse.gov.uk/construction/designers/index.htm

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all areas of specialist servicesand all literature is housed in anorganised holder. The team ofspecialists at Aspects is offering exceptional services to referring dentists.

THE FUTURE

The clinic has been open sinceJanuary 2005 and I amdelighted with the progress sofar. At the planning stage Icompiled a forecast for bothareas of the clinic for the firstyear of trading – we areexceeding our monthly targets.We are now looking at the nextstage in our growth. Amarketing strategy is in placefor the coming year for both thegeneral practice and the referralclinic. I firmly believe thatplanning and execution ofcontinual marketing is key tothe future growth of the clinic.This is an area that I recognise I

need help with. I am workingwith a dental marketingcompany that understands theaims of the clinic and that canhelp me, leaving me free toconcentrate on clinical issues.The solid foundation has beenbuilt and now we need to goforward and be active in allareas of the business.

The birth of Aspects Dentaland Referrals is the culminationof a dream. It has been a greatexperience, a great outcome

and there is a great future aheadfor all concerned with theclinic. My philosophy is that ifa job is worth doing it is worthdoing well – the extra time, theextra money and going thatextra mile has paid off. When Iopen the door of my practiceeach morning, I am amazed athow much I enjoy mysurroundings and chosenprofession. My investment ispaying off in more ways than one. �

Before opening, we alreadyhad appointments booked wellin advance for the generalpractice and by the end of theopen night had 70 referrals.

I am delighted with the highstandard of building work andinterior design of the practice.The practice is unique in style,colour and ambience. TheAspects brand is apparent inevery area. I feel that I havecreated an oasis that can beenjoyed and experienced by theteam, my patients, referred patients, referring dentists andall specialists.

REFERRAL PACKS

We have produced high-qualityand substantial referral packsthat are sent to referringdentists. These packs are verycomprehensive and make for aneasy referral path to the clinic.There are individual forms for

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Rob Ward BDS (Lond), LDS, RCS (Eng), MSc (Perio Lond)Principal, specialist periodontist Adam Slade BDS(Lon) LDS, RCS(Eng) MFGDP(UK) MClinDent (Prostho)Implantologist Bikram Bal BDS, LDS, RCS (Eng), FDS, RCS (Eng) Specialist in oral surgery Norman Gluckman BDS (Rand) Specialist in endodontics Lesley Flemming BDS Smile design consultant

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