Phone Number - 0844 375 6505

It has been an exciting couple of weeks as I am now actually planning to be open in September; as always there are a few hurdles to be overcome, but that is nothing new. I seem to have round this buoy several times over the past few months; however this time funding has been secured and at long last I will be realising my vision.

I have set up our telephone number - 0844 375 6505. I know these numbers have had a bad press recently, so I have asked the provider to put the record straight:

"There is a common misconception that 0844 numbers cost the same to call as 0870 numbers or premium rate numbers. This is not true. Premium rate calls cost between 10p to £1.50 a minute, whilst national call rate numbers (usually known as 0870) cost about 8p a minute to call. 0844 numbers cost 4.2p per minute to call, which is equivalent to the BT standard daytime rate for the first minute of a call. Whilst tariffs do vary widely, for most patients there is little or no difference in the cost of calling their dentist on a low call rate 0844 number. In fact, some patients may find it cheaper because unlike a BT call there is no 3p connection charge. Those patients who pay more because of their telecom provider’s rate package will only find themselves paying on a few pennies extra for the call. We do not make a ‘profit’ out of the 0844 calls - this is written into our contact. The money generated partially funds the new equipment in order to provide a better service for patients."

At the end of the day it is all about providing a better service to our patients. It is going to be a busy summer - fantastic.

Website Launch

You will all be aware that not a lot has happened lately - I am wading through the application process to seek funding through the Government backed Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme. I am confident of success, but time is really dragging and I want to get on and get the practice open.

However, some progress has been made and the new practice website is up and running, please have a look and let me know your thoughts.

www.augustadental.co.uk

I have tried to capture the ethos of the new practice on the website, with a particular emphasis on 'excellence in dentistry'. I enjoy what I do and I am keen to create an environment that everyone else really enjoys, both in and out of the surgery. I have got the plans ready, so I have just got to convince the bankers.

Small Steps

Goodness, I hadn't realised it had been so long since I posted any news; a couple of emails from friends made me realise that I need to keep everything up to date. The main reason for the lack of news has been the lack of progress and it has been so frustrating. Timing is everything and I seem to have got it slightly wrong and despite all the efforts of the Government, the banks are not keen to support a new business.

However, I am taking small steps, making a little bit of progress and pursuing several exciting possibilities. Most importantly the vision remains intact, I know Augusta Dental Centre is an excellent concept, it is a good plan and I am very confident we will succeed.

New Year, New Start

This year has ended with some real positive news.  I have been in successful negotiations to significantly reduce the refurbishment costs and I have finally managed to secure some funding for the project.  It has been extremely difficult to overcome the current paralysis and lack of decision-making in the current financial market.  I know I have a good plan and I can't wait to get started.

As always nothing is set in stone and I am sure that I will have many twists and turns on the way.  However, I now feel that this big boulder I have been trying to push up a hill is reaching the summit and I will soon been racing down the other side.  Until we actually start, it is impossible to predict when we shall finish, but Easter will be in April 2009 and who knows.

Frustration

The plans have been finalised; I am happy with the design produced by Genus Interiors and the dental equipment sourced through Blueprint Dental will be first rate.  The new practice website is being developed, although it has been slow progress but everything has now stalled.

The protracted negotiations over the lease has meant that I am now caught up in the current financial maelstrom and the banks have changed their situation somewhat.  It is like pushing a boulder up a hill, as I am getting near the top people keep adding extra weights; however, as soon as I reach the summit progress is going to be rapid.

A New Beginning

At long last I have completed on the Lease and I have now started to plan for the refurbishment and creating my vision for the new practice.  It has been a busy couple of weeks, with an excellent BSGDS Conference (www.bsgds.com) in Jersey, which was informative and enjoyable.  I was particularly delighted to be voted in as President Elect for 2009/2010.

The builders have suggested that it will take about 9 weeks to complete the refurbishment, a week to install the dental equipment and a couple of weeks for team training, so we shall probably start seeing patients in January 2009.

First Steps

It has finally happened; at long last I have signed the lease for the property in Leamington. Unfortunately, this isn't quite the finally hurdle and I gather there yet more legal hoops before I get to complete, but we have made significant progress.  We now move on to the exciting part and I get to design my perfect practice.

The aim remains as "excellence in dentistry", the tricky part of the process is creating the right environment.  Genus Interiors have done a fantastic job with the plans and have really managed to interpret my vision for the practice.  The next stage is to translate a vision and the plans into reality.