The legacy of DPAS practice, South Street Dental in Elgin, is in safe hands. Established in 1973, the practice has only ever passed through three sets of owners. Its current custodians are married couple Jen and David Bianchi who took ownership of the practice fully just over two years ago. Since then, they have embarked upon a remarkable journey of renewal and growth.
A legacy worth preserving
At the time Jen and David bought their initial stake in the business it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the same month as Jen gave birth! Despite its deep roots in the community and long-standing patients, the practice needed modernisation and a fresh vision.
Jen and David invested heavily in infrastructure, rewiring and replastering the building, installing five new surgeries, upgrading IT systems, and even revamping their in-house dental lab. Having sorted the physical infrastructure, they then needed to address their systems and the business model.
At the time, all plan patients were on full care plans. With the help of their DPAS Regional Support Manager, Selina Alexander, they carried out a full audit of the 937 patients who were members of their plan. Shockingly, they discovered that those plan members had caused a loss to the practice of £43,000 in a single year. Clearly, this was unsustainable and needed to change.
Working with Selina, they came up with a response that would help turn their loss into a profit. During this period, Selina and business coach, Barry Oulton, became a lifeline for the fledgling business owners. “She was at the end of the phone,” Jen recalls. “She gave us tools to help come up with solutions, advised what had worked for others, and helped us navigate the changes we needed to make.”
Change of plan
With Selina’s guidance, the team introduced a new maintenance plan alongside the existing care plan. This gave patients more choice and allowed the practice to remain financially viable. They increased the full care plan fees by a considerable margin to reflect its true costs. Despite this, some patients still chose to retain it. Those unwilling, or unable, to pay the increased fees transferred to the maintenance plan. The loyalty and trust built over decades stood them in good stead and thanks to Selina’s market knowledge they had been able to ensure the practice’s monthly fees remained competitive.
Strategic support and confidence
Jen says Selina’s support helped her and David feel confident in their decisions. As a DPAS practice they were part of a wider network and could benchmark their fees and strategies against other practices. “It’s lovely being part of a bigger group like DPAS,” Jen says. “Selina could say, ‘Yes, that’s competitive,’ or ‘Others are charging this,’ and that gave us the reassurance we needed.”
They also took the decision to rebrand their full care plan as a “loyalty plan,” which they reserved for long-standing patients. This subtle shift in language helped manage patient expectations and helped reinforce the value of the service.
Engaging the team
With the financial model stabilised, Jen and David turned their attention to culture and leadership. Having worked at the practice as an associate before taking ownership, Jen said she found the transition to ‘boss’ a challenge, especially with such a well-established team. However, with the support she received from their coach, Barry Oulton, and the tools provided by DPAS, she found a way to manage change respectfully and effectively.
As practice principals, Jen and David have empowered the team to take ownership of their roles. Over the past couple of years, they have all provided a contribution to writing the practice’s culture deck and attended new CPD courses. With Jen and David’s encouragement, they have embraced a solutions-based approach. “They’ve come up with some really good ideas,” Jen says. “It’s brought the best out in them.”
A practice with purpose
One of the most notable features of South Street Dental is its commitment to being known as a family-run practice with a deep sense of community. Jen and David have built a model that prioritises patient care, team wellbeing, and family life. One of the initial motivators for purchasing the practice was to be able to have time together as a family. Despite still needing to put in long hours shaping the business, their working week is structured to allow time with their children. Two years on, the 2am finishes are becoming fewer, and they’ve created systems and processes that support sustainable growth.
Having reached this stage, they’re now looking at ways to cement their position in the community by giving something back. As their son has just started playing rugby, they’re exploring the idea of sponsoring the team or offering custom mouthguards for schoolchildren as a way of raising the profile of the practice in fun, meaningful ways.
Looking ahead
Thanks to their own hard work and the support Jen and David have received, South Street Dental has not only survived a period of immense change, it has also thrived. The practice is now the last independently owned dental clinic in Elgin, with a waiting list of new patients and a reputation for quality care.
Jen and David are happy to acknowledge the value of the help they have received. “Selina’s been pivotal,” Jen says. “She helped us bridge the gap between where we were and where we wanted to be. And now, we’re confident in our vision and proud of what we’ve built.”
Looking to the future, Jen wants to be able to reflect on a career based on outstanding patient care, rather than just financial success. “When I retire, I want to remember the patient who thanked me because I fitted a nice denture, or a mum who thanked me because I made their kid a mouth guard, or that I did that presentation at the careers fair,” she says. “That’s equally as valuable to us and I think that says a lot about the type of practice that we are. I hope my team find that David and I have led by example, and have set a good example, and that we’ve carried on the values that have always been there.”
All the signs point to that being likely.
Leave a Reply