The board of directors at Scotland’s largest dental group have unveiled its leading ‘eco-champion’ practice in the heart of the Highlands.
Glencoe Dental Centre which is part of the Clyde Munro Dental Group has undergone an extensive makeover to make the premises more environmentally friendly, and is one of six ‘eco-champion’ practices around the country.
Board members, including founder Jim Hall, were given a tour around the practice which features a beehive – which is ready to welcome a colony of bees in spring; a bird feeder and bath as well as a wild flower garden planted by children from the local primary school Glencoe Primary School.
Vast changes have also been made within the practice with internal surgery refurbishments, focussing on the use of environmentally friendly materials, a revamp of patient and staff areas and the introduction of a number of recycling initiatives, including those for ink cartridges and dental care products.
An electric car has also been purchased by the group to encourage eco-friendly travel amongst staff between Glencoe Dental Centre and its neighbouring practice in Fort William, M&S Dental Care.
Associate Dentist at Glencoe Dental Centre, Christoff Du Plessis, is excited about the changes to his practice after recently being named as Clyde Munro’s Environmental Clinical Lead.
Christoff said: “Being part of something so different and positive is a great opportunity to make some worthwhile change. As the flagship eco-practice, the Glencoe team are proud to be at the forefront of such an exciting initiative.
“It is an ever-evolving project which we hope other practices within the group can emulate in the near future.
“Our patients have noticed the changes and we have had very positive feedback from all of them which is really encouraging to hear.”
Clyde Munro have already begun to implement environmentally friendly changes throughout its 52 practices and have a number of programmes underway
The group has recently launched its paperless patient journey which encourages patients to communicate electronically.
Clyde Munro has eliminated plastic cups with the introduction of a new eco-friendly protocol as patients are asked if they wish to use a cup for a rinse rather than being given one automatically at each appointment, with those cups still being used, now being made from paper
Founder Jim Hall said: “It’s important we use the platform we have to make as much change as we can. We want to lead the charge in environmental dentistry and as Scotland’s largest dental group we feel we have an obligation to make a difference where we can.
“We have practised all over Scotland in some of the most naturally beautiful places in the country, we don’t want our practices impacting negatively on these landscapes and communities, and making a number of small changes together, can make a real difference to the environment.”
Clyde Munro was founded by Jim Hall in 2015 with the acquisition of seven practices. Since then, it has enjoyed rapid growth and now comprises 52 practices across Scotland, with more than 430,000 patients and 400 staff.
As well as a presence in all of Scotland’s cities, it owns practices from Orkney and the Highlands to the Scottish Borders.
