A Scots dentist has acquired his first practice thanks to support from ethical lender Unity Trust Bank.
Liam McLaughlin used six-figure funding from Unity to buy independent Avondale Dental Practice – a trusted provider of dental care in the East Kilbride community for over 70 years.
Liam took over from the previous owner who had successfully grown the practice over the past 20 years and who will continue to contribute to its success as an associate.
As well as investing in new technology to improve services for Avondale’s 6,500 patients, Liam is also empowering his 13-strong workforce by introducing training and development opportunities.
He said: “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial streak and having been an associate dentist for 11 years – including nine years at Avondale – I had a clear idea of how I wanted to achieve the best workflow and patient experience at my own practice.
“Good oral health has always been important, but more and more studies are showing that it has an effect on your general health too. If your oral and gum health is good, it lowers the risk of other conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
“Your dentist is quite often in the frontline of identifying conditions early, such as oral cancer where the rates have never been higher, because it’s someone you see regularly, rather than your GP who you only go to when you become aware of an issue.”
As a social impact bank, Unity supports organisations that make a positive difference to society and only uses customer deposits to lend to businesses that deliver quantifiable impact in local communities.
Liam said: “Unity has been great to deal with and being able to contact my own relationship manager, Jordan Hady, through this process – as opposed to sending an e-mail to a company and getting replies from different people – has made a difference.
“Jordan’s been out to see the practice and I’ve learned a lot about Unity. Knowing that I’m with an ethical bank that’s doing good things will only improve our relationship.”
Jordan Hady, Relationship Manager at Unity Trust Bank, said: “Unity supports frontline healthcare providers, recognising that dentists play a crucial role in promoting overall health and well-being.
“Avondale is a long-established practice that has been providing exceptional patient care for many years. Liam has exciting plans to build on this and it’s been a pleasure supporting him with this purchase.”
Liam plans to add a fourth surgery and hygienist room at Avondale and create additional job opportunities.
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