Bernie Horner is the Business Manager for the International Microdentistry Institute (IMI). She was tasked with the job of assisting with the start up of international operations for the well-established Excellence Dental Network, which was founded in Italy by Dr Francesco Martelli. Here, she explains how she did it:
I was first approached by the International Director, Salvatore Danilo Martelli to help expand the Excellence Dental Network (EDN) as it is known in Italy, and set up international IMI master clinics, beginning in the UK.
To provide a bit of background information: Dr Francesco Martelli is an Italian dental clinician and researcher who founded EDN, which is a network of clinics that evolved from his first, in his hometown of Florence. Over the years Dr Martelli has collaborated with other dental colleagues and used what is referred to as a ‘one chair’ or one surgery set up to perform a specific protocol to treat periodontal disease. Business has grown expediently and as of today, Dr Martelli has opened six master clinics and 15 other ‘corner’ establishments across Italy. There are another two clinics in Copenhagen and Farum but the opening of the Leeds Clinic is the first and largest multi-disciplinary centre outside Italy.
I had never been asked to help build a clinic before, so this was my first time to oversee such a project. It was literally a new start up from scratch and firstly, I was asked to suggest a location in the UK. I was very conscious of the fact that we had to get it right from the start but after having done my research and studying demographics, I recommended Leeds. As we know, it is the second financial district in the UK outside London and the ‘powerhouse’ of the North. The management team agreed that Leeds was the right destination and they asked me to go and find a suitable building.
I made contact with many different groups and explained what I wanted to a wide range of agencies. One in particular was really on the ball and understood exactly what we needed. I then viewed about 6 different locations myself and narrowed it down to three different properties, which I asked the managing director to come and see. After this, Dr Martelli came to Leeds and, between them, they decided which building they wanted. I then contracted a chartered surveyor to survey the property, negotiated the deal and terms of the lease before the building was secured and I was able to apply for the change of use to D1.
The building is called The Bourse, a four storey, classically styled and preserved property that dates from around 1872. The front of the building is listed and the façade has a series of mirrors reflecting a kaleidoscope of images from the immediate surroundings. This concept was designed to allow the building to blend in with the city station, which is just three minutes away. Locating the new clinic within easy reach of the train station was a conscious decision; all our clinics are within a 10-15 minute walk of a train station to provide our patients with good accessibility.
Within The Bourse there are three buildings and we are in the first one, Equity House. Although we were unable to change the façade there were no restrictions on what we were able to do internally. There are beautiful double height (almost floor to ceiling) windows, which provide excellent light, but they also had to be incorporated into the design of the new clinic. Initially, it was an empty shell, some carpet and paint had been applied for presentation purposes but we were then able to apply the same model that has been used in Italy to develop the space. Our master clinics have a minimum of 5 surgeries and although they are all in different types of buildings, they each have the same internal format. What’s more, when our plans were submitted, they were accepted immediately.
In the early days, the company’s Technical Director, Massimo Mantecchini, Danilo Martelli and myself worked alongside the architects, contractors and subcontractors to design the layout of the clinic. Massimo was in Leeds for extended periods during the actual build of the clinic and returned at varying stages to oversee the project. Massimo invited Pete Higson from RPA Dental to get involved in the early conversations, as he was to supply and incorporate all the Cefla Dental equipment as designated by Dr. Martelli, following the blueprint of the Italian clinics.
Pete was a valuable contributor and a mine of information at these early meetings, managing expectations and explaining the detailed process we would need to follow to complete this project in line with CQC and legal obligations.
His experience in setting up new dental clinics in the UK stretches for over 25 years, and therefore was invaluable. His expertise meant that we could be assured of reasonable prices from all aspects and he offered suggestions and helped the project to flow. For example, as we operate our own CBCT machine and work with lasers as an integral part of our operation, Pete was on hand to ensure we could work with the HPA, to advise and regulate our facilities and working methods. He was a bit like the oracle, a great help and generous with his time and advice.
The new UK master IMI clinic opened in May 2016. Dr Francesco Martelli is the prinicipal clinician and it was my job to recruit and organise the training of local dental professionals to continue his work. As well as performing an innovative, non-invasive periodontal treatment protocol called Perioblast,™ the clinic blends complex technologies and advanced scientific knowledge to generate therapies to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients. Of course, we require the very latest apparatus and Pete Higson and Massimo worked tirelessly to ensure that the most suitable equipment and technology was incorporated.
The clinic is equipped with a CBCT machine, the Myray Hyperion X9, which offers 2D analyses and cephalometric projections, as well as 3D HD technology in one unit. Patients and dental professionals enjoy the comfort and efficiency of Stern Weber S300 dental units with integrated instruments and software. Each treatment room has a Myray RXDC high frequency x-ray wall unit for diagnostic efficacy and as the use of a surgical operating microscope is mandatory for all our clinicians the surgeries are equipped with ZEISS OPMI® pico and OPMI ® Movena™S7 systems. For intraoral imaging we chose Soredex DIGORA™Optime units that process high quality images in seconds and our practitioners also have the clinical advantage of DEKA Smarty A10 dental lasers, which are the ultimate in endodontic and periodontal technology.
The dental cabinetry was custom-made and installed by Eurovet & Dentalgroup SRL in Italy but the team from RPA Dental were on hand to assist with any aspect. There were occasions when it was not directly an area under their remit of work but the guys helped out wherever they could. They wanted the job to go well; it is a very different clinic to the average practice in the UK and everyone wanted it to look its best and to be a success.
The clinicians were blown away when they first came to work here and still feel very lucky to have these state of the art facilities. They realise that they are at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation and would probably find it very difficult to work without these facilities now. The clinic is sleek and clean and, in terms of hygiene and format, run like a hospital. Some of our patients laugh when we ask them to put on overshoes and remark that it feels as if they have landed on the mother ship! It is quite different, but they all agree that it is a lovely welcoming practice and our team is dedicated to excellent patient care.
Although the project took longer than expected, it is a great success and we now have a beautiful IMI Clinic in the UK. This was my first opportunity to project manage with the assistance of colleagues to oversee the build of the clinic. In hindsight, there is not really anything I would change; all builds are fraught with tedious challenges from time to time but now charged with so much more information I know exactly who would be in my ‘A team’ if I had to do it again. I would probably begin more dialogues upfront and having gained so much confidence and experience, I would call upon people like Peter from RPA Dental for their expertise. If we were to do another IMI clinic in the future, I would be able to follow the Italian blueprint again. However, what really helped this project was the sound advice and support from Peter and the exceptional customer service we received from the RPA Dental team.
