At Portman Dental Care|Dentex, our role is to support our clinicians so they can deliver clinical excellence and first-class patient experience and service – every day.
Working alongside our business-focused practice managers (PMs) practice clinical leads (PCLs) play an integral part in the successful running of a practice, and can benefit financially (without any risk) if a practice is growing and performing well.
PCLs enable and lead colleagues, protect and maintain clinical freedom – as well as driving commercial growth. They also ensure the practice has a strong clinical voice and act as a cultural clinical ambassador for the practice, as well as the wider Portman Dental Care|Dentex group.
Traditionally, dental practices have operated with a clinical lead who was often one of the practice owners, and it has proven to be a very successful model. When practices join the Portman Dental Care family, we recognise the importance of having a clinical leader in them. Someone who is there to work as a critical member of the practice leadership team to maintain the special network of relationships that make a dental practice great, rather than just good.
Setting up your own dental practice can be challenging, expensive and comes with considerable financial risk.
If you’ve always wanted to run your own dental practice, but haven’t been able to – becoming a PCL could be the perfect opportunity. You can carry on practicing dentistry, whilst learning how to operate a business – with no risk or investment.
We’ll will give you everything you need so you have the skills and expertise to run a dental practice, as well as the opportunity to tap into an incredible support network of other successful practices and passionate clinicians. You’ll become a critical member of the practice's leadership team and will maintain the special network of relationships that makes a dental practice great - not just good.
It’s important is that we are building strong proactive clinical leadership in every practice and over time we will see more and more of the clinical leadership needs in our practices being fulfilled by PCLs.
This is because our vision for each practice is for it to be led by two critical roles:
The PM and PCL work together as the practice leadership team to lead the practice and make it as efficient and successful as possible, while being a great place for colleagues to work and clinicians to practice and deliver high levels of clinical care.
It’s important is that we are building strong proactive clinical leadership in every practice and over time we will see more and more of the clinical leadership needs in our practices being fulfilled by PCLs.
This is because our vision for each practice is for it to be led by two critical roles:
The PM and PCL work together as the practice leadership team to lead the practice and make it as efficient and successful as possible, while being a great place for colleagues to work and clinicians to practice and deliver high levels of clinical care.
PCLs work in their leadership role for a set time each week as an employee, with the rest of their time practicing clinically or pursuing other clinical interests on a self-employed basis.
Our clinical leadership roles, including our directors of dentistry and clinical leads, are fundamental for all of our practices and central support teams. But it’s our practice level PCLs who live and breathe the principles of clinical freedom and provide clinical leadership for our practices, playing a pivotal part in transforming the future of dentistry.
We introduced the PCL role as part of a 12-month pilot in 2021 to help us to emulate the winning clinical leadership model we see in successful dental practices. We now have 45 PCLs acting as clinical leadership figures within practices alongside PMs: providing clinical focus, ambition and strategy.
If you are looking for your next career adventure in dentistry and want to make a difference through practice clinical leadership, click the link below to see what current opportunities we have.
The PCL has joint responsibility with the PM for the development and progression of the practice strategy. Remaining jointly accountable for practice financial performance, budget, patient satisfaction and clinician and colleague engagement.
Our PCLs are clinicians who usually also practice clinically within the practice on a self-employed associate basis, having the full autonomy that this relationship affords concerning their patients. For a defined, separate period of time each week, they also work on an employed basis for Portman Dental Care as the PCL in the practice.
A key part of their role is to ensure that clinical standards are aligned with the guidelines of the General Dental Council and expectations of our regulators and support the clinicians within the practice to operate at high clinical standards of patient care.
The PCL has joint responsibility with the PM for the development and progression of the practice strategy. Remaining jointly accountable for practice financial performance, budget, patient satisfaction and clinician and colleague engagement.
Our PCLs are clinicians who usually also practice clinically within the practice on a self-employed associate basis, having the full autonomy that this relationship affords concerning their patients. For a defined, separate period of time each week, they also work on an employed basis for Portman Dental Care as the PCL in the practice.
A key part of their role is to ensure that clinical standards are aligned with the guidelines of the General Dental Council and expectations of our regulators and support the clinicians within the practice to operate at high clinical standards of patient care.
While our PCLs’ primary role lies in supporting clinical standards and strategy, they also take on a support role to practice based colleagues. PCLs mentor others to give them a clinical voice and provide a positive influence, increasing engagement and setting standards and expectations.
They are the key stakeholder within the practice for regional clinical leads and act as a cultural ambassador for the Portman Group, as well as the practice. Our PCLs may also lead study clubs and other referral events both within and outside of their practices.
PCLs are a critical member of our practices leadership teams and they work closely with the PM to lead regular practice team meetings, as well as take the lead in clinical team meetings.
Creating and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders is a key part of the PCL role. These stakeholders include patients, the PM, the clinical and practice team, regional clinical leads, directors of dentistry, operations managers and the heads of operations.
While our PCLs’ primary role lies in supporting clinical standards and strategy, they also take on a support role to practice based colleagues. PCLs mentor others to give them a clinical voice and provide a positive influence, increasing engagement and setting standards and expectations.
They are the key stakeholder within the practice for regional clinical leads and act as a cultural ambassador for the Portman Group, as well as the practice. Our PCLs may also lead study clubs and other referral events both within and outside of their practices.
PCLs are a critical member of our practices leadership teams and they work closely with the PM to lead regular practice team meetings, as well as take the lead in clinical team meetings.
Creating and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders is a key part of the PCL role. These stakeholders include patients, the PM, the clinical and practice team, regional clinical leads, directors of dentistry, operations managers and the heads of operations.
Since January 2021, we’ve introduced 3 cohorts of PCLs into the Portman Group. We now have 30 PCLs across our practices and the initiative has yielded incredible success in the short time that they have operated across Portman Dental Care practices.
We are seeing indications of stronger financial performance in these practices alongside improved levels of patient satisfaction and colleague and clinician engagement too. We are very excited that this new role is so beneficial to our practices, and as we continue to build PCLs into every practice we are aware that there will be a lot of positions to fill.
If you are an established clinician looking for an additional challenge in your role, or thinking ahead to the possibility of owning your own practice in the future, a Portman Dental Care PCL position could be the perfect natural next step. We are constantly updating this page with new information and recruitment opportunities, so do check back.
Since January 2021, we’ve introduced 3 cohorts of PCLs into the Portman Group. We now have 30 PCLs across our practices and the initiative has yielded incredible success in the short time that they have operated across Portman Dental Care practices.
We are seeing indications of stronger financial performance in these practices alongside improved levels of patient satisfaction and colleague and clinician engagement too. We are very excited that this new role is so beneficial to our practices, and as we continue to build PCLs into every practice we are aware that there will be a lot of positions to fill.
If you are an established clinician looking for an additional challenge in your role, or thinking ahead to the possibility of owning your own practice in the future, a Portman Dental Care PCL position could be the perfect natural next step. We are constantly updating this page with new information and recruitment opportunities, so do check back.
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