Dental Tribune UK Edition, October 11-17, 2010, No.25 Vol.4

Do you have an opinion or some- thing to say on any Dental Tribune UK article? Or would you like to write your own opinion for our guest comment page? If so don’t hesitate to write to: The Editor, Dental Tribune UK Ltd, 4th Floor, Treasure House, 19-21 Hatton Garden, London, EC1 8BA Or email: lisa@dentaltribuneuk.com Editorial comment CQC Chair confirmed F ollowing an independent recruitment exercise by the Appointments Com- mission and a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing by the Health Select Committee, Health Sec- retary Andrew Lansley has an- nounced that Dame Jo Williams has been appointed as the Chair of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Dame Jo has been the acting Chair of the CQC since February 2010. Her previous roles consist- ed of being the Chief Executive of the Royal Mencap Society and the former President of the As- sociation of Directors of Social Services, as well as a champion for social care services through- out a career in local govern- ment. She also Chairs the Prison Reform Trust and is a member of bodies advising the govern- ment on the third sector, carers, learning disabilities and chil- dren’s services. According to reports, Dame Jo said; “I am delighted to be appointed Chair of CQC – but I don’t underestimate the chal- lenges that lie ahead. “CQC will continue to drive improvement to ensure everyone has access to safe, quality services across the coun- try, and I am thrilled to be a part of this.” DT Dame Jo Williams is thrilled to be ap- pointed as Chair of the CQC ‘I don’t underesti- mate the challenges that lie ahead..’ I ain Forster, Managing Direc- tor of DIO UK, presented his marketing advice and ideas to delegates at the Royal Society of Medicine on Friday 3rd Sep- tember. The 45-minute session was well attended and there was much interest shown both in the content of his presentation and the follow-up series of market- ing workshops Iain is holding over the next few months to help dentists make the most of their marketing budgets. In his presentation Iain said that it was a good time to be in dentistry, with the population increasing and costs decreasing. He also put a positive spin on the recession saying that com- panies that promoted heavily during a recession were often the first to emerge from it and the most successful in the fol- lowing years. Despite encouraging dentists to promote their services during a recession, Iain urged caution. He said that companies should not over spend and should test marketing methods to deter- mine what worked best for them and focus on those that proved to be most successful. “It pays to start small and build confi- dence,” he said. Iain was confident that the economic climate is right for dentists to promote their busi- nesses as the country emerges from recession. He went on to explain that it is however es- sential that practices remain focussed, targeting those people with whom they already have a relationship before spending too much money looking further afield. He drew a distinction between internal marketing to reach out to the local popula- tion, educating their own prac- tice teams and the importance of the Internet; and external mar- keting that was designed to open up new markets over an extend- ed period. “Internal marketing gives us business tomorrow,” he said. “External marketing gives us business next year.” Bringing marketing right up to date Iain urged dentists that they should embrace social media and the opportunities it provides. Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In and many more all provide unprecedented oppor- tunities for dentists to reach out to a wider market, for little or no cost. Not only are these outlets easy to use they are also essen- tial for those practices who do not want to be left behind as the old marketing techniques are superseded by newer, cheaper, more effective methods. In closing Iain introduced the new “21st Century Dental Marketing” workshops which help dentists to take advantage of the opportunities they have available to market their busi- nesses in the modern climate. The workshops cover: • The use of PR and how to do it; • Best practices for web page lay- out; • How to use a CMS system to keep your website up to date; •Maximising patient conver- sions; • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO); • Pay-Per-Click (PPC) cam- paigns … and much more. To book your place on the next 21st Century Dental Mar- keting workshop, go to: www. dentalmarketinguk.com Iain is now presenting his lecture as a free online webi- nar. Delegates can register for the online seminar by going to www.dentalwebinar.co.uk or visit http://www.dentala.co.uk/ seminars/dentistrymarketing- webinar.html. DIO Implant is a global sup- plier of dental implant technol- ogy. Established for over 20 years, DIO is rapidly expand- ing in the UK and has already taken a sizeable share of the market with its combination of high quality, sensible pricing and clear communication. The company’s focus on marketing education is part of its strategy to build effective and profitable business partnerships through- out the dental industry. Further editorial informa- tion from: Charlotte Freestone The Words Workshop Ltd. Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099 E-mail: charlotte@thewords- workshop.co.uk Web: www.thewordsworkshop. co.uk All business enquiries to: Iain Forster -Managing Director DIO Corporation Ltd (UK) Tel/Fax: 0845 123 3996 E-mail: info@DIOUK.com Web: www.DIOimplant.co.uk “How to grow your dental business in an adverse economic climate”, as presented by Iain Forster, Managing Director of DIO UK, at the Royal Society of Medicine, London Dentistry Capitalising on Recession 3NewsOctober 11-17 2010United Kingdom Edition The GDC have not been having the greatest time of it lately. The deci- sion to raise the An- nual Retention Fee, although expected, still managed to cause much anger amongst reg- istered professionals. Groups such as dental nurses are up- set that for many of them, £120 is a big hit to take just to be al- lowed to work. Dentists are also upset that £576 is not affordable for those such as associates and those working part time. People are also commenting on the fact that other necessary fees such as indemnity and the upcoming registration with the Care Qual- ity Commission are placing a fi- nancial burden on practices just to be able to practise that is just not fair. Top this anger with the re- cent story about a woman who was able to practise for several years without qualifications, de- spite being investigated and it doesn’t get much worse for the dental regulator. Showcase is upon us for an- other year, and I’m looking for- ward to meeting with readers, partners and friends at one of the busiest events for me per- sonally. I hope that those attending have a successful event, and manage to get a good deal on all those gadgets you’ve been after all year!