SMILE TOGETHER - Key Persons
As Practice Manager and the CQC registered ‘responsible person' for our fully private Keast Mews Dental Centre in Saltash, I have day-to-day responsibility for overseeing the clinical and commercial aspects of our practice. I ensure we operate effectively, are compliant, adhere to governing bodies' rules and regulations, and deliver excellent patient care, whilst achieving targeted private practice growth. I recruit to and carefully co-ordinate the work of our team, making sure they have the support, equipment, systems and passion to deliver an excellent service. I also get to use my hands-on dental nursing skills and experience, stepping in to provide patient care whenever needed.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director and Chair of the Smile Together Board
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Smile Together Board, John Burchill, says: "We are thrilled to welcome both Liz and Vikki to our Board as Executive Directors. They join us at an exciting time for our company which has such exciting and ambitious plans for the future".
Job Titles:
- Our Receptionist
- Receptionist to Dental Nurse ( and Elected Representative ) !
Formerly a healthcare assistant, Karn joined Smile Together as our receptionist in Newquay, seeking a new opportunity in a patient-facing environment which she could balance around her family commitments. Four years on, having seen her colleagues enjoying the provision of hands-on patient care each day, she was inspired to progress her career as a dental nurse. Karn successfully secured a trainee dental nurse position in 2022, still based in Newquay.
Karn explains: "As a receptionist I developed a great understanding of our company, our patients and the Dentally Practice Management System that we use, and even some knowledge around dental terminology. For me it's been a wonderful way to start my career in dentistry and I've felt comfortable and confident making the transition to dental nursing, very quickly going solo with the dentist".
Karn was a familiar face in Newquay so patients attending for regular routine care have enjoyed seeing her career development and progression to dental nursing, happy to see her working alongside the dentist in the surgery environment.
Karn continues: "I absolutely love being able to support our patients with hands-on dental care, seeing them overcome their anxieties and ultimately have a nice time at the dentist! I'm also on hand to support our new receptionist and can be particularly helpful in managing often complex clinical diaries".
Our dental nurse apprentices and trainees are extremely well supported by the whole Smile Together team, both in the surgery environment and with their learning. They are allocated one day per week to study and encouraged to get together to develop their own mutual support network, which is particularly helpful if it's remote online learning, as is the case for Karn and her fellow trainees Katie and Maisie.
Our trainee dental nurses are also actively encouraged to engage in the social and environmental impact initiatives that Smile Together delivers in local communities. This has seen Karn supporting our Smiles at Sea harbourside tour providing treatment to fishermen and Health for Homeless pop ups in Newquay. As a shareholder in our employee-owned business she also put her name forward to attend the national Employee Ownership Association conference in Liverpool in October 2022, attending with five other colleagues. She was so inspired that, at the very next opportunity, she successfully stood for election to our Shareholder Impact Board and thoroughly enjoys representing her colleagues.
In November 2023 Karn won the Society of British Dental Nurses award for ‘early career contribution' during National Dental Nurses Day - well-deserved recognition of her outstanding commitment and achievements so far on behalf of our patients, our community and our people. Such is her dedication that Karn even opted to work on her birthday this year, supporting #SmilesatSeaUK in Newquay!
Karn is keen to continue developing and progressing her dental nursing career by gaining experience across the full range of services provided at Smile Together - everything from urgent and emergency care, orthodontics, minor oral surgery and routine private care to paediatrics and special care including GA sessions at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust. Once qualified she also intends extending her contribution by supporting our out of hours service, evenings and weekends.
Karn concludes: "Joining Smile Together was one of the best things that could have happened to me. Not only does the company provide rewarding careers for local people but every day we make a real difference to others. I'm so proud to work here".
Job Titles:
- Dentist
- Clinical Director for Workforce Development
I joined Smile Together in 2022 to clinically lead their new contemporary private Keast Mews Dental Centre on the outskirts of Plymouth, moving from a private practice in London where I was an associate General Dental Practitioner. Prior to this I served for over ten years as a Dental Officer in the British Armed Forces, including working overseas, completing my military service holding the field rank of Major.
In March 2023 I was appointed as Clinical Director for Workforce Development, joining the Smile Together Board as Executive Director. Alongside my existing clinical days treating patients at Keast Mews, this sees me attending Board meetings and providing day-to-day and strategic clinical leadership to our dentists and therapists, working closely with our Operations Team.
I'm a compassionate, patient-centric and conscientious clinician, passionate about dentistry, patient care and my team. As an employee-owned and B Corp certified CIC with a brand-new dental centre to establish and grow in Saltash, Smile Together is the perfect environment for me to further develop my clinical leadership skills. In 2023 I was admitted as a Fellow to the College of General Dentistry and you can read more about my dental career here.
Away from work I am a keen long-distance swimmer and occasionally brave a competitive triathlon. I love to travel and experience new cultures and environments, especially food, and as a wine enthusiast I am WSET qualified with a particular love for English sparkling wine. I've been to Glastonbury festival ten times and de-stress with yoga, baking or making sushi. I live with my partner David and our blue cat, Balthazar, and we are currently renovating our Victorian house.
Dentist Liz Winfield has been appointed as our Clinical Director for Workforce Development. Liz has been instrumental in successfully launching our brand-new contemporary dental practice at Keast Mews in Saltash and, alongside her existing clinical days treating patients there, she will be providing day-to-day and strategic clinical leadership to our dentists and therapists, working closely with our Operations Team. Liz joined Smile Together from a private practice in London where she was an associate General Dental Practitioner, prior to which she served for over ten years as a Dental Officer in the British Armed Forces, including working overseas, completing her military service holding the field rank of Major. Liz brings a wealth of clinical and leadership experience to our company.
Vikki Johnson-Best has become our Executive Director of Operations and Commercial. Prior to joining Smile Together, Vikki was responsible for dental and GP commissioning for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) and has complemented this with equally significant experience as our Head of Operations and Commercial, attending high level contract meetings with our commissioners, planning and managing critical service improvement, operational and major commercial projects, and managing all estates-related matters across the whole of our business.
"Dental and Executive Director Jonathan Bouwer-Davies becomes our Interim Managing Director and will fulfil this leadership role alongside his existing Dental Director responsibilities, supported by Liz and Vikki whilst we substantively recruit to this role, seeking to replace Paul who left us in February 2023 after a decade at the helm".