Dental Group Over The Moon after Latest Acquisition
Independent dental group, Riverdale Healthcare, has announced its latest acquisition with the arrival of Hanji Dental Care into the group.
Hanji Dental Care offers both NHS and private dental treatment to its patients through its 18 practices located across South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, Birmingham, Northamptonshire, and the East Midlands.
Speaking of the acquisition, Chief Investment Officer for Riverdale, Chris Aylward said, “This is a fantastic group of practices that further strengthens our proposition as a leading provider of dental care. Hanji Dental Care has become one of the leading independent dental groups in the country therefore we are delighted to be welcoming their clinical and practice teams to Riverdale.”
Chris added, “The acquisition has been completed in record time thanks to the outstanding service from the teams at Mills & Reeve, PWC and Christie & Co with support from Apposite Capital.”
Emma Barnes, Chief Executive Officer for Riverdale, said, “The addition of Hanji Dental Care emphasises how we continue to effectively implement our growth strategy. This acquisition forms part of our planned strategy to link our existing practices in the North and South of the country.
We are excited to welcome all their clinical and practice teams into the Riverdale family at such a positive time on our journey.”
This latest acquisition takes Riverdale to 59 practices plus a dental laboratory.
It has been a busy few months for the dental group after it added four practices to the group during May and June.
Riverdale Healthcare is a dental investment group which was formed in 2019, with an industry-leading management team led by CEO Emma Barnes and backed by specialist healthcare investment fund, Apposite Capital. The team continue to actively source ambitious dental practices which share Riverdale Healthcare’s ethos of providing high quality, ethical dentistry.
Dental Group Sitting Pretty after Latest Acquisition
Independent dental group, Riverdale Healthcare, has announced its latest acquisition with the arrival of Prettygate Dental into the group.
Located in the historic town of Colchester in Essex, Prettygate Dental offers both NHS and private dental treatment to patients across the Southeast of England through its two practices.
Speaking of the acquisition, Chief Investment Officer for Riverdale, Chris Aylward said, “This is another exciting investment and further strengthens our proposition across the group. Prettygate Dental has been established for over 40 years; therefore, we are delighted to be welcoming their experience into the group.”
Chris added, “The acquisition has been a smooth process. The teams at Apposite Capital, Pinsent Masons and Hazelwoods have yet again provided an outstanding service as we continue our growth strategy.”
Emma Barnes, Chief Executive Officer for Riverdale, said, “The addition of Prettygate Dental emphasises how we continue to effectively implement our growth strategy, and is exciting as it forms part of our planned strategy to extend our offering in the South of the country. We are pleased to welcome them into our great team at such a positive time on our journey.”
The new acquisitions will be clinically led by Neeraj Diddee as part of his new role as Group Clinical Director for Riverdale Healthcare.
This latest acquisition takes Riverdale to 40 practices plus a dental laboratory.
It has been a busy month for the dental group after it also added a further three practices in the Northeast to the group during May.
Riverdale Healthcare is a dental investment group which was formed in 2019, with an industry-leading management team led by CEO Emma Barnes and backed by specialist healthcare investment fund, Apposite Capital. The team continue to actively source ambitious dental practices which share Riverdale Healthcare’s ethos of providing high quality, ethical dentistry.
Dental practice owners interested in finding out how they can secure the future for their team should contact, in confidence, Chris Aylward at chris@riverdalehealthcare.com
It’s all aligned for Guy’s teaching journey
It certainly has been ‘all smiles’ recently for one of our North Yorkshire dentists as he continues his journey back into lecturing.
Guy Wells, Clinical Director working at our Vitality Dental Care practices in Stokesley and Northallerton, has been keen to get more involved with the teaching side of dentistry, to compliment his day-to-day role and to pass on his knowledge to others.
Guy originally got involved with the IAS Academy back in 2018 when he started their advanced orthodontic course, primarily run by Professor Ross Hobson. Since then, he has been providing orthodontics using their support forum – a brilliant way to sense check his treatment plans and tap into the wealth of experience that the available specialist orthodontists can bring as treatment progresses.
“Essentially, it’s a lovely way for a general dentist like me to gain experience in, and provide, orthodontics safely for my patients” Guys explains.
Once he’d finished the advanced course, he attended several other IAS Academy courses to further develop his knowledge and skills. Whilst there, he got chatting to Professor Ross Hobson about teaching opportunities; something he hadn’t done for a while following a brief foray doing small-group training for foundation dentists several years ago. It was during that conversation that Ross encouraged him to give it a go again whilst explaining their training structure for lecturing.
“I was then put in touch with Tif Qureshi (via Ross) and he suggested that his Align, Bleach & Bond course would be a perfect fit for me as it’s a mix of Orthodontics and Aesthetic Restorative – which is what I spend most of my clinical time doing!
I’ve helped on the course three times now over the last year, including on the recent course held for Riverdale associates. This has initially been as a ‘clinical trainer’, where I help delegates with the hands-on components of the course, while I familiarise myself with the lectures.”
However, most recently, Guy has been fortunate enough to deliver a couple of small sections of the course presentation, which has helped to ease him back into lecturing whilst providing fantastic experience.
His involvement with the IAS Academy has also coincided with the opportunity to assist Riverdale Group Clinical Director, Neeraj Diddee, in delivering his hands-on Anterior & Posterior Composite courses for the Northern Deanery.
“Three days after I lectured at the IAS Academy course, Neeraj asked me to present some of his Posterior Composite course which, I’m told, went well too. Was certainly quite a week!”
Guy’s motivation has seen him take advantage of the opportunities available to him, and he is keen to keep going with what he has started:
“I’m very much in the infancy of my teaching journey but I have already received good feedback from both trainers and delegates alike, which at this stage is as good as I could hope for!”
Roaring Start to the Year with Latest Acquisition
Riverdale Healthcare has today announced its first acquisition of the new year with the arrival of Lion House Dental Practice into the group.
Located in the market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire, Lion House Dental Practice offers both NHS and private dental treatment to patients across the North of England.
Speaking of the acquisition, Chief Investment Officer for Riverdale, Chris Aylward said, “This is another exciting investment and strengthens our proposition in the North Yorkshire region.
Having practices in close proximity to each other is conducive to delivering outstanding care to the people in our communities. Lion House Dental practice has been established for over 25 years; therefore, we are delighted to be welcoming their experience into the group.”
Chris added, “The acquisition has been a smooth process. The teams at Apposite Capital, Pinsent Masons and Hazelwoods have provided an outstanding service as we continue our growth strategy.”
This latest acquisition takes Riverdale to 35 practices plus a dental laboratory.
Emma Barnes, Chief Executive Officer for Riverdale, said, “The addition of Lion House Dental Practice emphasises how we continue to implement our growth strategy. We are pleased to welcome them into our great team at the start of what promises to be an exciting year ahead.”
Riverdale Healthcare is a dental investment group which was formed in 2019, with an industry-leading management team led by CEO Emma Barnes and backed by specialist healthcare investment fund, Apposite Capital. The team continue to actively source ambitious dental practices which share Riverdale Healthcare’s ethos of providing high quality, ethical dentistry.
Dental practice owners interested in finding out how they can secure the future for their team should contact, in confidence, Chris Aylward at chris@riverdalehealthcare.com
The Future is Bright Following Latest Award Win
In a week that has seen several award nominations and the acquisition of further practices, independent dental group Riverdale Healthcare is celebrating again after scooping top prize at the Northern Skills Group 2021 Apprenticeship Awards.
Selected from 2000 employers that partner with the provider, Riverdale Healthcare were chosen as winners of the Northern Skills Group Large Employer of the Year award in recognition of the dedication and commitment they show in supporting young people and apprenticeships.
Riverdale currently employs 50 apprentices as Trainee Dental Nurses, with plans to expand the scheme as the business continues to grow.
Speaking after the award win, Suzie Loveday, People and Culture Director at Riverdale Healthcare, said, “We are delighted to have received this award and be recognised from such a strong field of employers that are offering apprenticeships. Our core business values are centred around enabling people to fulfill their aspirations, practicing with integrity, and embracing individuality; all of which are embedded in the delivery of our apprenticeship scheme.”
Riverdale Healthcare is a dental investment group which was formed in 2019, with an industry-leading management team led by CEO Emma Barnes and backed by specialist healthcare investment fund, Apposite Capital. The team continue to actively source ambitious dental practices which share Riverdale Healthcare’s ethos of providing high quality, ethical dentistry.
Smiles All Round with Latest Acquisition
Independent dental group, Riverdale Healthcare has announced its latest acquisition of seven dental practices in Tyne & Wear.
The practices, which were formerly part of the Perfect Smile group, are situated at prime locations throughout the region, offering NHS and Private services.
Speaking of the acquisition, Chief Investment Officer for Riverdale, Chris Aylward said, “This is an exciting investment as the location of the practices strengthens our proposition in the region.
Having more practices in close proximity to each other is conducive to delivering outstanding care to the people in our communities.”
Perfect Smile group are focusing their development on their existing activity in and around the London area.
Chris added, “The acquisition has been a smooth process. The teams at Apposite Capital, Pinsent Masons and Hazelwoods have provided an outstanding service as we continue our growth strategy.”
This latest acquisition takes Riverdale to 34 practices plus a dental laboratory.
Riverdale Healthcare is a dental investment group which was formed in 2019, with an industry-leading management team led by CEO Emma Barnes and backed by specialist healthcare investment fund, Apposite Capital. The team continue to actively source ambitious dental practices which share Riverdale Healthcare’s ethos of providing high quality, ethical dentistry.
Dental practice owners interested in finding out how they can secure the future for their team should contact, in confidence, Chris Aylward at chris@riverdalehealthcare.com
Changing the Profession’s Perception of Dental Groups
Emma Barnes CEO, discusses why Riverdale strives to be different and why it added Devonshire House to its growing list of practices.
We are constantly seeking a differential; why is one product or company better than another, it’s human nature.
It is the same for dental groups. Over the years they’ve received a bad rap, rightly or wrongly, for over promising and under delivering. Riverdale is on a mission to change this perception.
Emotional intelligence
Selling the business you have committed your life to over the years is a hugely emotional experience. Dentistry is a community led industry, one that thrives on supporting the needs of patients and selling your business can feel disloyal. Disloyal to your teams who you nurtured over the years, disloyal to your patients who you have been treating since they were young children and disloyal to your associates who currently work for an independent provider.
At Riverdale, we never underestimate how emotional this decision is. Our role is to support you, your team and associates throughout this journey.
It is daunting becoming part of a bigger business – there is so much to consider.
Some dental groups will immediately implement all of their protocols and procedures and expect your team to adapt. After all, it makes sense to have all the practices doing the same thing. It’s easier for regional managers and head office teams to assess how your practice is performing in line with expectation and ensures the manage, monitor and measure system is working. This works for some, but what if there was another way?
What if you and your practice team were treated as unique individuals, supported and developed to achieve their greater potential? After all, you have been successful so far.
This is something we advocate and are working hard to deliver at Riverdale Healthcare.
Supporting individuals
Our support office focuses on providing real support to our practice teams. We want to see them flourish as individuals so they are happy in their work. Because we know that happy and engaged colleagues will always do their best.
We are also proud of how we have given our associates a voice, creating environments for our clinical teams to flourish. Our operations team is clinically led and responsible for making informed decisions for all our Riverdale team. But the first job is keeping the patients’ needs a number one priority.
Our strategy is to continue to develop our people and practices. This way they are best placed to deliver excellent patient centred care, which, until recently, was geographically focused in the north of England.
Growing together
In April this year, we were hugely excited to welcome the Devonshire House team to our family.
Based in Cambridge, the Devonshire House business has been successfully operating for over 100 years. They have added a new string to our bow, something that will benefit the whole group.
What did we see in Devonshire House? We saw us! A group of likeminded individuals who care passionately about quality dentistry and want to share their experience further.
Formed in 2019, Riverdale is a relative newcomer to the UK dental industry. But our team has a lot of experience. Each member of our management team brings their own key skillset to ensure we are fully supporting the practice teams. We know that together, we are stronger.
Riverdale is on a mission – what’s yours?
If you would like to find out more about Riverdale Healthcare and also if we are a good fit for each other, contact Chris Aylward at chris@riverdalehealthcare.com
image and article as featured in Dentistry Magazine.
How the COVID pandemic is creating unique opportunities
Whilst the COVID pandemic has massively impacted dentistry, it has also created new opportunities. Ian Gordon, dental director at Riverdale Healthcare, ADG management team member and North Yorkshire LDC chair, discusses how practices can benefit from this unique situation.
The forced closure of dental practices during lockdown 1.0 placed a huge strain on dental practices across the country. Especially purely private and referral practices, which were left to rely for cash flow on any capitation income they might have.
NHS and mixed practices were impacted by loss of private revenue. But they had the comfort of an NHS finance blanket to maintain a sustainable business.
Now we are in a unique situation.
We have an abundance of patients who have at worse been denied access to NHS care. Or have restricted access due initially to the enforced focus on triage and the triple A approach to delivering clinical ‘care’.
Practices are working through backlogs caused by the April to June 2020 closures of all but 600 UDC sites. As well as dealing with the totally excessive fallow time and the restrictive SOP, which significantly reduces patient flow.
As the new financial year opens, practices face a further increase in targets. These are challenging for all when set against the background of an SOP written for the peak of the pandemic and fallow time which seriously reduces efficiency.
Some private practices have increased their prices and added PPE costs to AGP appointments in a bid to gain some financial compensation for the loss they have experienced and the increased time required for each appointment.
How are Riverdale Healthcare managing the balance?
We have a passionate team of clinicians who genuinely seek the best treatment for our patients. And we are eternally grateful for that.
So, when the chief dental officer closed all practices, their first thought was how can we help?
Our group was delighted to be included in the urgent dental centres in north Yorkshire and the north east. Along with practices in other regions.
As a clinical team, we very quickly pooled our talent, fit-tested teams and implemented a protocol to ensure the safety of everyone.
Some of the team diverted from purely private work to become fit testers. Or use their surgical skills to ensure we could cope with anything coming our way at the UDC. Including on more than one occasion completing the task of removing teeth when patients had ‘tried this for themselves’ at home – such was the impact of enforced closure of most practices at this time.
We invested in air filtration systems to provide the greatest level of assurance to everyone. We wanted to ensure a visit to one of our practices was the safest it could possibly be.
Our urgent dental centres saw many patients that had been unregistered for years. It was those who avoid the dentist at all costs until the inevitable toothache begins and we have to perform reactive dentistry.
Whilst their experience was very different to a usual appointment, these patients gained insight as to how the industry has moved forward.
Our clinicians were able to demonstrate their compassion. Our teams offer their professionalism. And most importantly these patients are happy we can see them. They were grateful that someone could help in such extenuating circumstances.
The NHS versus private debate continues
Whilst our NHS lists are full and people are waiting far longer than ever to be seen, we have identified the opportunity to raise the profile of our private dental offering.
We continue to prioritise urgent patients whether previous patients of the practice or not in line with the requirements set out for Q1 and Q2. This does impact our ability to provide treatment for routine NHS patients.
Whether the patient chooses to join a plan or become an independent patient, there is a large number of patients who are happy just to see a dentist.
We have invested heavily in our teams and our practices during the pandemic. It has been costly, but it is absolutely the right thing to do. Supporting our teams, maintaining their NPE income levels and continuing to pay any abatement charged ourselves as a company. Rather than passing this significant cost onto our teams.
We don’t believe in passing these costs to our patients.
The word ‘private’ from a patient perspective implies expensive. So, whilst we seek to make dentistry accessible to everyone, we are careful not to alienate prospective patients with additional fees for equipment that is necessary for us to carry out treatment.
Fair, honest and transparent
We delivered well in excess of the 45% minimum threshold in Q4. We expect to deliver in excess of 60% in this half year. But even these commitments do not meet the demand there is for treatment.
We believe in being fair, honest and transparent with our patients. We do this by simply advising of all options available to them.
There no longer becomes a discussion of NHS versus private. But simply what’s the best treatment for the patient and what we have a contractual and physical capacity to deliver.
Unless we remove fallow time we cannot increase capacity any further. If the country re-opens fully on 21 June, it is imperative that dental practices can individually risk assess their protocols. This way they can expedite a return to a pre COVID level of PPE. We might then start to see access improve.
As a clinician I cannot wait to dispose of a respirator mask for the last time.
Riverdale is on a mission – what’s yours?
Riverdale Healthcare is growing. If you want to find out more about Riverdale Healthcare and if we are a good fit for each other, speak to Chris Aylward in strict confidence, chris@riverdalehealthcare.com
Nurturing the Next Generation – Progression to Succession
Ben Wild explains why Riverdale Healthcare builds relationships and guides dentists and professionals through their career.
In any industry the succession cycle is a challenge. But at Riverdale Healthcare we believe we have the foundations to provide stability and security for all our colleagues, safeguarding the future success of our business.
From the point of inception, Riverdale Healthcare commits to providing opportunities for everyone. It’s in our DNA.
The first dental group we acquired, Alpha Vitality, successfully embedded a culture of progression, which we continue to nurture.
Ultimately, we want to provide the highest standards of dental care to all patients – in a friendly and professional environment.
To ensure we deliver on this, we are dedicated to making sure that our teams are the best they can be. Providing opportunities for progression, we believe, is paramount to ensuring our teams are motivated and enjoy their work.
Our head of operations began as a trainee dental nurse. As did many of our regional management team.
For us, this level of experience in key roles means they are best placed to make informed decisions. They can have a greater understanding how changes affect every part of the team. And subsequently, successfully manage implementation of change.
In addition, the experience of acquiring the skills needed to develop and progress within the business means that they are also well placed to identify and nurture the potential in those around them.
We work closely with our teams, supporting them through a broad range of training programmes to meet the developing needs of the business.
As a result, many of our staff members benefit from career progression. Either with additional skills that link to their core roles, or role promotion as they progress the career ladder.
Nurturing foundation dentists
On a clinical level, many groups report a shortage of dentists, which can have a massive impact on the business. We are taking the proactive approach used by many premiership football clubs; we are growing our own.
Partnering with foundation training providers, we are nurturing relationships with foundation dentists to develop the lead clinicians of the future.
Assigning mentors, we guide FDs through 12 months in practice, participating in team events, supported in their academic work and guide them through their clinical role.
Foundation training not only provides a unique and stimulating team environment, it also helps to promote best practice. The foundation dentists and their supervisors embrace the latest clinical protocols to enhance patient care. Whilst also involving the whole team around them.
Many of our current clinical team joined as foundation dentists. The legacy of this experience forged many longstanding and valuable professional and personal relationships between team members.
Beyond foundation training, we facilitate opportunities to further develop skills through our own CPD events.
Collaborations with both leading industry speakers and our own home-grown talent provide enhanced clinical training to widen the services they can offer to our patients.
With the opportunities afforded by hybrid teaching models, we offer a broad range of online teaching seminars. As well as F2F one-day and extended practical training programmes at a range of centres close to our practices.
The value of relationships
We recognise that extended practice families make up our group. Each with their own nuances, but all working together to deliver the highest standards of dental care.
We should never underestimate the value of these relationships. None more so than in the past year.
I, myself, as operations director, have strong and enduring relationships with many of our team members. Whether they are clinical directors, dentists, managers or DCPs.
Through these relationships, I was able to see when one person in particular might need support, whether professional or personal.
To this day that culture lives on in the ethos of the practice teams
And that’s what we do. We keep it personal.
People like us, because we are passionate about what we do and we believe in what we do.
That’s why we have a large number of people who have been with us for far longer than many marriages! Some, for their whole working life.
If you’re looking for the secret. There isn’t one.
Just make sure you stay interested in people. Be kind, be supportive but most of all, listen.
Riverdale is on a mission – what’s yours?
Riverdale Healthcare is growing. If you would like to find out more about Riverdale Healthcare and if we are a good fit for each other, speak to Chris Aylward. You can contact him at Chris@riverdalehealthcare.com.
Image and article as featured in Dentistry Magazine
