Group tops 600,000 patients, responsible for around one in nine Scots
THE LARGEST exclusively Scottish dental group has acquired its 75th practice – with deals agreed in principle for a number more to join its network in the coming months.
Clyde Munro has been buying dental practices in Scotland at a rate of three per month, as it continues to deliver on its ambitious growth plans. This is as a result of the £25 million financing package from Investec secured earlier this year,
Following the purchase of its 75th practice, Tryst Dental in Stenhousemuir, the Glasgow-headquartered group is now responsible for the oral health of more than 600,000 patients – around one in every nine people living in Scotland.
Jim Hall, founder and Chief Executive with Clyde Munro, said: “We learn something new from every practice that we engage and this is helping us to grow and develop as an organisation.
“What’s particularly pleasing is that an increasing number of principal dentists are coming proactively to us, following recommendations from other dentists or advisors who have had positive experiences.
“We don’t have any intention of slowing up now. Practice owners engage with us for a variety of reasons, but they all want to know that patient care will be at the highest possible level and staff will benefit from security and career development.
“It’s a challenging time and the sector is tackling major, well-publicised issues, recovering from the pandemic and countering an unprecedented shortage of dentists, especially in rural areas. We’re at a scale where we can now tackle these issues head-on – and we hope to play an increasingly prominent role in improving dental health outcomes for all in Scotland.”
Principal dentist at Tryst Dental, Lesley Donaldson, 37, took the reluctant decision to hand over ownership of her practice – which has served the area since the early 1980s – for family reasons. She was also attracted to Clyde Munro because of its commitment to ensuring practices retain their identities. The sale also enables Lesley to continue to focus long-term on the clinical care of her patients.
She said: “It’s been a difficult decision to sell the practice as we’ve trained up a brilliant young team and I am proud and thankful to them for everything that we have achieved.
“This was a difficult decision and not in our plans until recently. Clyde Munro stood out as the obvious option for us to ensure that the practice retains its identity while being ambitious in continuing to strive for the best outcomes for patients.
“We were really impressed by their development programmes for associate dentists and dental nurses too. It suddenly opens up career opportunities for our incredible team who deserve the best.
“It is good news for patients too. We’re looking to progress existing plans to create a fourth surgery and Clyde Munro will invest in the practice and our team so that they can provide the best possible patient experience.”
Kirsty Dace, Chief Development Officer at Clyde Munro, said: “This is a prime example of an incredibly well run practice that plays an important part within the local community.
“Credit to Lesley for the culture that she has instilled and the talent that she has nurtured. We understand that it has been a difficult time for her and she wants to do the best for staff and patients alike. We’re thrilled to have been chosen by Lesley as the future for her practice.
“The onus is now on us to ensure that we live up to her biggest hopes and do justice to the great reputation that Tryst Dental has developed.”
Fiona Wood, Chief Operating Officer at Clyde Munro, said: “Delighted to have achieved another milestone by acquiring practice 75. The continued growth we have seen over the last few years has been incredible and it is such honour that many practices across Scotland choose to join Clyde Munro and work with us to deliver excellence in patient care through our dedicated teams, investment in training and education as well as our digital technology.”
Clyde Munro’s stated ambition is to become Scotland’s “local dentist”, operating an expanding network of family dentists across Scotland, with each devoted to providing the best dental care, while reflecting the needs and character of its community.
It now has over 600,000 patients under its care, across 75 practices, with more than 200 dentists and 550 members of staff.
Practices which join the group benefit from help with business functions including HR, accounts, marketing, compliance and facilities management – relieving many dentists from gruelling and distracting administration duties.
