Dental practice valuations, independently prepared.

What the figure usually turns on

• NHS contract value and UDA rate

  A secure UDA contract at a strong £-per-UDA rate is the most defensible part of the value. Underperformance against contracted UDAs, clawback history and any variation notices reduce it directly.

• Private and plan income mix

  Plan patients on a monthly membership are treated far more favourably than ad-hoc private work. Recurring plan income, patient numbers and average spend per patient all lift the multiple.

• Principal and associate dependence

  If most clinical income is generated by the selling principal, a buyer prices in the risk of it walking out. Stable associates on written agreements with reasonable notice periods protect value.

• Surgery count and premises

  Value per surgery, whether spare surgeries can be brought into use, freehold versus leasehold, remaining lease term and CQC-compliant fit-out all move the figure.

• Compliance and equipment

  CQC rating, decontamination compliance, digital records, scanners and ageing chairs are all priced. Deferred capital expenditure is deducted, not ignored.

Why a percentage-of-turnover rule of thumb isn't a valuation

Most practice valuations circulating in the market are a single percentage applied to gross fee income. It's a useful sanity check and nothing more — it ignores profitability, ignores who generates the income, and ignores what the premises are worth.

We triangulate: normalised EBITDA on a market-rate principal's salary, goodwill as a proportion of fee income, and comparable completed transactions. Where the three disagree, the report explains why — which is the part a buyer, a lender or HMRC actually needs.

Independent of the sale

Dental sales agents and corporates both value practices. Both have an interest in the answer. We have none — we don't sell practices, we take no commission and we charge one fixed fee agreed before we start.

That independence is what makes the report usable for an incorporation, a partner buy-in, a divorce, probate or an HMRC share valuation, as well as for a straight sale.

This is for you if…

• —You're approaching retirement or a corporate has approached you.
• —You're buying a practice or buying into one as a partner.
• —You're incorporating, restructuring shares or need a valuation for HMRC.
• —The practice is an asset in a divorce, probate or shareholder dispute.