Practice Management Matters

Practice Management Matters We can help you achieve these things!

Great Practice Management requires a wide range of tools skills and disciplines, and can take years of experience to accomplish an efficient, thriving, and most importantly happy team with loyal patients.

Lisa Bainham, owner of Practice Management Matters and ADAM Chairperson, will be speaking at the BDIA National Conferenc...
01/09/2026

Lisa Bainham, owner of Practice Management Matters and ADAM Chairperson, will be speaking at the BDIA National Conference 2026 on 23rd and 24th September at the National Space Centre, Leicester. The conference brings manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and business leaders together to tackle the economic and operational realities facing the sector, and Lisa brings the practice management perspective straight from the people experiencing it first hand.

Diary Optimisation — the work you do now matters laterOne of the biggest mistakes I see in dental practices is waiting u...
29/08/2026

Diary Optimisation — the work you do now matters later

One of the biggest mistakes I see in dental practices is waiting until the diary is quiet before doing something about it.

By then, it’s often too late.

Quiet periods are rarely a surprise. Most practices know which months tend to be more challenging — and December and January are often particularly difficult. The opportunity is to start working on those months now, rather than trying to fill the gaps when they arrive.

I know that a healthy diary doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from having the right systems, processes and team behaviours in place.

Here are four areas I would look at:

1️⃣ Predict the troughs
Look at your diary historically. When do you regularly see dips? Once you know where they are coming, you can plan recall activity, campaigns and flexible booking strategies before the gaps appear.

2️⃣ Protect the diary
Your cancellation and failed-appointment processes matter. Clear policies, appropriate pre-payments and confident conversations with patients can prevent avoidable gaps before they happen.

3️⃣ Work the white space
A cancellation at 10am doesn’t have to mean an empty surgery at 2pm. A well-managed short-notice list, combined with a team who know exactly what to do and act quickly, can turn lost time into productive time.

4️⃣ Audit your recall
This is one of the most overlooked opportunities in many practices. How many patients are overdue? How many haven’t responded? How consistently is the team following up? There can be a huge amount of opportunity sitting within your existing patient base.

The important thing is this:

The work you put in now can help turn your traditionally quiet months into busy months.

You don’t necessarily need more patients.

Sometimes you need to make better use of the patients, systems and opportunities you already have.

If your diary concerns you, let’s have a conversation. I can help you identify the easy wins and the practical changes that could make a real difference.

After nearly 30 years in practice management, I know that small changes, consistently implemented by the right team, can have a significant impact.

Want to talk it through?

📞 07964 867286
🌐 www.practicemanagementmatters.co.uk

Or book a free 30-minute Practice Review with me.

🚀 Big news – I'm heading back to the BDIA National Conference, and this time it's at the National Space Centre in Leices...
24/08/2026

🚀 Big news – I'm heading back to the BDIA National Conference, and this time it's at the National Space Centre in Leicester (last year it was Silverstone – we clearly don't do boring venues)

Last year I was invited to speak to the industry about the challenges Practice Managers face day to day. My message was simple: companies who genuinely care and want to help us are the real winners – not the ones just selling to us or ticking a service box. Getting to know us, understanding our world, and actually supporting us? That's what makes the difference.

This year I'm proud to say I've been asked back – but this time as part of an expert panel covering all roles in practice. I'll be flying the PM flag loud and proud, making sure our voice is heard alongside every other role that keeps a practice running.

If you're in dental, this conference is worth clearing your diary for:

✅ Actionable Strategies – no fluff, just the economic and operational realities we're all facing right now
✅ The Power of the Collective – there's nothing like being in a room full of the people actually shaping this industry, rather than just reading about it
✅ Future-Proofing Your Business – from AI readiness to regulatory changes, walking away with tools to stay ahead, not behind

Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, business leaders, industry experts – all in one room, all talking honestly about what's really affecting our businesses. That's rare, and it's exactly why I keep coming back.

📅 23rd September 2026, National Space Centre, Leicester
🔗 Register here: https://bdia.org.uk/events/bdia-national-conference-2026/

See you at the Space Centre. 🛰️

Caffeine or chocolate? Managing the bossEvery practice manager knows the balancing act. You're there to support the owne...
15/08/2026

Caffeine or chocolate? Managing the boss

Every practice manager knows the balancing act. You're there to support the owner, keep the practice running smoothly and manage the team, all while managing upwards too. It's a relationship that can make or break how a practice functions, and when it's working well, everything else tends to fall into place.

But that relationship isn't always straightforward. Different communication styles, unclear boundaries or simply not knowing where you stand can turn what should be a strong partnership into choppy waters.

Lisa Bainham of Practice Management Matters works with practice managers to help navigate exactly this. From building trust and setting clear expectations to finding your voice in the relationship and knowing how to raise difficult conversations, Lisa brings years of first hand experience to help you build a working relationship with your owner that actually works, for both of you.

If the owner and manager relationship in your practice needs a bit of support, get in touch:
07964 867286
[email protected]

Are you a dental practice manager who could use some support?Whether you're brand new to the role and finding your feet,...
14/08/2026

Are you a dental practice manager who could use some support?

Whether you're brand new to the role and finding your feet, looking to develop a team member into their first management position, an experienced manager taking on new responsibilities, or simply feeling the strain of constant change in the sector, you don't have to navigate it alone.

Lisa Bainham of Practice Management Matters offers one to one mentoring and support tailored to where you are in your career. From building confidence and developing key skills to working through the practical challenges of the role, Lisa draws on years of hands on experience as a practice manager to help you feel equipped and supported.

No two practice managers face exactly the same challenges, and Lisa's mentoring reflects that, with a flexible approach built around what you actually need.

Get in touch to find out more:
07964 867286
[email protected]

Last chance! The entry deadline for the Dentistry DSO Awards 2026 has been extended to 16th August, so there's still tim...
13/08/2026

Last chance! The entry deadline for the Dentistry DSO Awards 2026 has been extended to 16th August, so there's still time to get your entry in, but not long.

Taking place on Friday 11 December at Underglobe, London, the DSO Awards celebrate excellence across dental service organisations, recognising the teams and individuals driving standards, innovation and growth across the sector. Judges this year include ADAM President and Practice Management Matters owner Lisa Bainham, so entries will be in safe hands.

If you think your practice or organisation deserves recognition, don't miss your chance. Enter today: https://awards.dentistry.co.uk/dsoawards/en/page/home



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Budgets. KPIs. Profit planning. Fee reviews.If the financial side of practice management makes you feel out of your dept...
01/08/2026

Budgets. KPIs. Profit planning. Fee reviews.

If the financial side of practice management makes you feel out of your depth — you are far from alone. Most practice managers were never given proper training in this area. You were handed the responsibility and expected to figure it out.

PMM works with practice managers to build genuine confidence in finance and profit planning, so you can contribute to the business side of your practice — and prove your value while you're at it.

Book a discovery call with Lisa today:
📧 [email protected]
📞 Call or WhatsApp 07964 867286

White space in the diary isn't just an empty slot — it's lost profit you never get back. 📅But here's the thing: filling ...
27/07/2026

White space in the diary isn't just an empty slot — it's lost profit you never get back. 📅

But here's the thing: filling the diary isn't the same as filling it well.

A diary crammed with the wrong mix of appointments can be just as costly as one full of gaps. Without proper zoning, you end up with high-value treatment squeezed into awkward slots, surgeries sitting under-used, and associates whose columns simply aren't producing what they need to.

Effective diary management means:

✅ Zoning treatments correctly so the right appointments land in the right slots
✅ Every chair working to its full potential
✅ Each associate's column structured to hit the numbers it needs to
✅ White space minimised — and what remains, there by design, not by accident

It's one of the fastest ways to improve practice profitability without seeing a single extra patient — yet so few teams are ever actually trained in it.

Practice Management Matters offers in-practice training on diary management and zoning, working with your reception team, TCOs and managers to build a diary that works as hard as your clinicians do.

Get in touch to find out how Lisa can help your practice:

📧 [email protected]
📞 Call or WhatsApp 07964 867286

Is your practice manager stepping up into a business role? Don't let them do it alone. 📊It's a natural progression in so...
23/07/2026

Is your practice manager stepping up into a business role? Don't let them do it alone. 📊

It's a natural progression in so many practices: a brilliant practice manager proves themselves running the day-to-day, and the role starts to grow — fee setting, budgeting, financial planning, business strategy.

It's a huge vote of confidence. It's also a huge leap.

Because managing a team and managing a business are two very different skill sets — and most practice managers have never been trained in the commercial side. Suddenly they're expected to:

💷 Set fees that reflect true costs and protect margins
📊 Build and manage budgets with confidence
📈 Plan for growth, forecast income, and track the numbers that matter
🧭 Contribute to real business decisions alongside the owner

Lisa Bainham offers one-to-one mentoring designed for exactly this transition — supporting practice managers as they move into business management, with practical, real-world guidance from someone who has done it herself.

The result? A practice manager who doesn't just keep the practice running, but helps drive it forward — and an owner with a genuine business partner at their side.

If you're a PM growing into a bigger role, or an owner ready to invest in yours, get in touch:

📧 [email protected]
📞 Call or WhatsApp 07964 867286

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