BUPA Drops a Bombshell
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- Published: Wednesday, 29 March 2023 08:20
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 2852
The BDA and BUPA colleagues have now confirmed the rumour which had recently begun circulating, that BUPA are planning to dispose of 85 of their dental practices.
Until now BUPA dental has seen trickle of closures in the last few years, often due to staffing problems, and usually leaving their former patients struggling to find care. The corporate has now decided to close, sell or merge, 85 practices across the UK. The majority of these are focussed on providing NHS services. With just over 470 practices across the UK this represents about one fifth of the group, partly built through the acquisition of Oasis dental care in 2016, in a deal worth £835 million.
It is believed that a combination of the NHS contract, increased operating costs and the added challenge in some practices of recruiting staff, has led to the decision.
Until now corporates have, barring the odd individual disposal, tended to steadily grow in size, either through acquisition of individual practices, or other corporates. It would seem likely that BUPA would have tried to sell some, or all of these practices to another corporate had there been any interest. Whilst some of the locations being axed may be able to transfer patients to remaining BUPA practices, geography and patient behaviour would suggest that many will be looking for care elsewhere. GDPUK readers will hope that given the workforce situation, ex BUPA team members should be able to find new employment. Indeed some may be hoping that they can now fill some of their own vacancies.
While they may not receive as much sympathy as the half a million now dentally homeless patients, this will be a blow to NHS England and Health Ministers. They said that they were reforming the contract. They insisted that their minor adjustments to UDA’s would make a difference. They bet on skill mix and GDC changes for international registrants, easing the workforce problems. They promised more of the same, gave a miserly uplift and then hoisted patient charges by 8.5%. Now BUPA, a long established and major player across UK healthcare, have given their verdict.
BUPAs history in UK dentistry has been somewhat erratic. Arriving with great fanfares as a first wave corporate, perversely proud of their memorable 230 230 telephone number, the practices were then closed or sold. A return to dentistry a few years later saw multiple practices being purchased or set up, including some with a strong NHS element, to be followed later by a pruning of the network. Other corporates, or their backers, will already be considering their options.
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