White & Co and Whytes Battersea Power Station

Anisha Patel, owner of the White & Co. independent group of dental practices explains how she came to open her latest premium practice, on the site of her dreams.

PRACTICE DESIGN

HOW I DID IT

Written by Anisha Patel

White & Co. Battersea Power Station is a new premium dental and aesthetics practice located within the innovative Battersea Power Station development project. Situated on the south bank of the River Thames, the iconic Battersea Power Station is a Grade II* listed structure, famed for its Art Deco interiors and four chimney layout. Since the redevelopment commenced in 2013, the building and surrounding area has been brought back to life as an exciting mixed-use neighbourhood for locals, tourists and residents, who are now able to enjoy a unique blend of shops, restaurants and open spaces.

My new dental practice

The process of obtaining my new squat practice within the Battersea development started in 2019. What interested me most about the project was that as part of the scheme certain units were allocated specifically to small local businesses, leaving the rest of the development for more established retail operations.

This prestigious redevelopment project is really design-led, with conservation of the art deco structure at its heart, so the team at Battersea chose the dental practice through a rigorous tender process. They were particularly interested in the design of our practice from the outset. We had to present detailed plans of how the finished practice would look, our business plan and our financial viability. I was absolutely thrilled when we won the tender and I couldn’t wait to get started.

I’ve always loved the power station building; - it’s so magical with the whole art deco vibe to it. It’s close to the river and so much has been done to regenerate the area. Later this year Battersea Power Station will have its own new Zone 1 underground station, one of the few tube stations in the south west of London, and overall the transport links to the area are much improved.

I have another practice not far away on Battersea Rise, so commercially it also makes sense as I can utilise my staff for both sites, which I think will really help for the success of this squat practice.

The build

The building and furnishing of the practice began in 2019 and Simon (Hemsted) and the team from Henry Schein Dental were involved from the start. I’m the owner of an independent group of practices and White & Co. is the brand of my private practices.

Historically I’ve used different companies on various refurb projects with varying results, but Henry Schein are so professional in everything they do – I couldn’t have put this iconic project in any safer hands. Simon had everything in hand, and I knew I had a safety net with him there. He has such deep product knowledge and his advice to me was like gold dust.

Looking at the Battersea Power Station development and especially the design elements, I felt confident that Henry Schein could build something to the exact standards we were looking for. I knew Simon and the team would be able to work closely with my interior designers to produce something that was not just aesthetically pleasing, but functional as well. After all it’s no good if everything looks lovely if it’s not practical to use.

I loved the fact that my interior designers were ready to push the boundaries, but Simon was the one considering their ideas, while making sure everyone was happy and onboard. One example of this was the cabinetry. Everything is designed to be hidden, there are no handles on show which gives a really sleek finish and is dirt and dust-proof and of course CQC compliant.

I had my architect draw up the design of the four new surgeries and give an indication of where everything should go but left it to Simon to have the final say and make sure that everything was completely user-friendly. We purchased our surgical equipment through Henry Schein Dental and their engineers came to fit out, test and provide essential staff training - everything was always delivered on time and to specification. Two of the four surgeries have now been completed and the other two will be installed soon.

The challenges

Of course, no one was prepared for the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic would bring for us all. During the first lockdown all building work on the development was stopped so there were considerably delays. Once work restarted there were very stringent rules about how many people were allowed on site and PPE had to be worn, which naturally slowed things down even more. To add to the problem there was also a change of management at Battersea Power Station which caused further issues and delays.

The result

The build was meant to take three months but actually took five, but despite all the unforeseen delays we were finally ready to open in January 2021. We ran a comprehensive social media campaign prior to the opening which happily resulted in a lot of patients already booked in for consultations from the start.

In the end we are dentists and project managing a job like this is not necessarily our forte. Simon and the Henry Schein team have years of experience - it’s what they do. You have to work with people you can trust and leave them to do the job. It relieves your mind and stress levels so you can focus on your business. Working in this way enabled me to concentrate on the practice and is one of the reasons why we’ve had a full appointment book since opening, as I wasn’t chasing my tail worrying about small details of the build. Instead, I could work on getting patients into the diary which is vital for the success of my business plan.

Simon was enthusiastic and genuinely interested about the project which is great for a customer like me. It was more than just performing a job and the whole team’s expertise and guidance was fantastic. I felt I was 100% in safe hands and I wouldn’t work with anyone else now.

COMPANIES AND EQUIPMENT INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT

The project was managed and delivered by Valore Healthcare with Apollo Dental acting as main contractor. Valore Healthcare provides a full turn-key solution to deliver a unique, bespoke, and uncompromising product for their clients. They combine extensive real estate, design and project management experience to competitively source and seamlessly deliver a medical practice that reflects their client’s vision.

ARCHITECT

Grey Associates, Architectural & Dental Design Solutions

INTERIOR DESIGN

LaVitaStyle Ltd

BUILDERS

Apollo Dental

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Valore Healthcare

EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS

Henry Schein Dental

Website: www.henryscheindental.co.uk

CABINETRY AND INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES

Henry Schein Dental

Website: www.henryscheindental.co.uk

THE PRACTICE

Battersea Power Station

5 Circus Road West

London SW11 8EZ

Tel: 020 4531 1144

Email: power@whiteandcodental.co.uk

Website: www.whiteandcodental.co.uk/practices/battersea-power-station

THE ETHOS

White & Co is an independent group of dental practices dedicated to providing high quality private dentistry in locations convenient for millions of Londoners. Our practices at Battersea Rise, West Wickham and the iconic Battersea Power Station offer a blend of general and cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics provided by a team of discreet, caring and highly experienced professionals.

White & Co is about more than exceptional treatments. It is also about trust. We want to educate and inform our patients by having in-depth conversations that will explain our recommendations and help patients take control of their oral health. Our aim is for patients to leave our care feeling rejuvenated by the life-changing results we have delivered.

Anisha Patel

Anisha loves creating amazing dental practices! She qualified at Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Dental Institute in 2003 and worked in general practice before enjoying an 18-month appointment as a Senior House Officer in Maxillofacial Surgery at The Royal Berkshire Hospital and Wrexham Park Hospital.

After gaining a fellowship in Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Anisha returned to general practice and as the practice owner has been the driving force behind White & Co’s philosophy of excellence in dentistry.