Five ways to protect your opening date

Opening a new dental practice involves several moving parts. Property, funding, the fit-out, CQC registration and recruitment all have their own requirements and timescales, but they cannot be managed in isolation.

A delay in one area can quickly affect everything else. These five steps can help you avoid common setbacks and keep your plans moving towards opening day.

1. Confirm the business structure early

Decide which legal entity will operate the practice, apply for CQC registration and acquire or occupy the premises. This may be you as an individual, a partnership or a limited company.

Clarifying the structure early helps ensure the property, funding, ownership arrangements and CQC application are aligned from the outset.

2. Check the premises before committing

A promising location is only the beginning. Before signing a lease or purchasing a freehold, check whether the premises can legally and practically operate as a dental practice.

This includes planning and permitted use, access, title or lease restrictions, essential services and whether the layout can accommodate the facilities and systems you will need.

3. Secure consent for the fit-out

Your lease must allow the alterations required to create a functioning dental practice. Depending on the proposed works, you may also need formal consent from the landlord before the fit-out can begin.

Establish what can be changed, what needs approval and whether any reinstatement obligations will apply before committing to designs, contractors or an opening date.

4. Build compliance into the design

Compliance should be considered throughout the setup, not once the building work is complete. The layout needs to support safe and compliant care, including decontamination processes, storage, accessibility and how patients and staff move around the premises.

The physical space is only one part of becoming CQC-ready. There is also considerable work involved in preparing the necessary documentation, systems and processes before opening. Building compliance into your plans from the beginning helps prevent delays and makes good practice part of everyday working life.

5. Work to one coordinated timeline

The property transaction, landlord consents, funding, building work, equipment installation, recruitment and CQC preparation all need to work towards the same date.

CQC advises that applications should not be submitted until the proposed service is ready, or very nearly ready, and that processing can take several months. Building realistic timescales and contingency into the plan can reduce the risk of one workstream delaying the entire opening.

Keep the whole project moving

There will always be factors that cannot be controlled, but early planning and clear communication between your advisers can make the process far more manageable.

When the property and compliance workstreams are considered together, potential problems can be identified sooner and decisions can be made with the wider project in mind.

How we can help

Our fixed-fee startup service brings Commercial Property and Compliance support together under one roof. Our teams work closely from the point you decide to open a new practice, through acquiring your lease or freehold and preparing for CQC registration, until you are ready to open your doors with confidence.

If you are considering setting up a new dental practice, get in touch to talk through your plans and find out how we can support you.

Call us on 0330 088 2275 or email info@buxtoncoates.com.