Two North East NHS dental practices have been taken over by new management, with one now accepting new NHS patients. The practices are Saville Place in Newcastle city centre and Gibson Street in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
Whitecross Dental Care Limited, part of the national mydentist group, has acquired the practices from owners Phil and Kim Brantingham, who have managed them for more than 30 years. Both practices offer NHS and private care, and mydentist Gibson Street is now open to a "limited number of new NHS patients, where availability allows".
Staff retained under new ownership
The new ownership has undertaken to keep all staff in place. The Newbiggin practice's manager, Leanne Dent, said: "I joined Newbiggin Dental Practice as a trainee at the age of 16 in 1994. Over the years, I progressed to the role of Practice Manager, and the practice has been both my workplace and my second family for over 30 years."
She added: "Working alongside Phil, Kim, and our amazing long-standing team has been an absolute pleasure. Together, we have built strong relationships with our patients and created a practice that we are all incredibly proud of. Now that we have joined the mydentist family, I am excited about the opportunities and possibilities ahead for the whole team." Ms Dent said she was now "looking forward to this new chapter".
Owners explain decision to sell
Kim Brantingham said: "We have owned Newbiggin and Saville dental practices since 1993 and in this time, have built up a very special work family, but with an eye to the future we made the decision to sell. Mydentist fitted our criteria of maintaining NHS dental services enabling our clinicians and ancillary staff to have access to further training programmes, enabling progression for all involved."
She added: "We have always cared deeply about our patients and the wellbeing of our staff and feel mydentist are the first choice to carry this ethos forward."
Commitment to continued care
Jon Day, the firm's head of mergers and acquisitions, said: "We are delighted to announce the acquisition of these two fantastic practices from Phil and Kim Brantingham. We look forward to continuing to deliver high-quality care for patients at both practices, with both teams staying on."
He added: "This marks the beginning of an exciting chapter, and we are committed to supporting the practices so we can deliver the best possible care to patients in their local communities."
