A Glasgow dental practice operating in the city for over 30 years has been acquired by a leading dental group.

Gorbals Dental Practice was founded in the 1990s and Fraser MacAulay took over ownership six months after joining the practice in August 1998.

Now the practice, along with Barrhead Dental Practice which opened in 2011, has been acquired by the Glasgow-based family-owned group Scottish Dental Care.

After single-handedly managing both practices through multiple challenging times in the sector, Fraser, 53, made his decision to ensure the businesses would last while also providing high-quality treatment to patients. 

He will continue to support the practices in the coming months.

Glasgow Times:

(Left to right: Christopher Friel, Fraser MacAulay and Lynn Hood)

He said: “As a strong believer in the NHS, I always strived to provide the best quality care possible but also wished to offer more treatment options to patients. I was keen to find an acquirer that would be able to provide both.

“My biggest concern was that the purchaser wouldn’t hold my same values or maintain the relationships my practices have with local communities.

“After some research, I knew that Scottish Dental Care was the perfect fit – it became quite clear to me from the get-go that the team there operate in the same way I do and run their practices in line with my own ethos.

"The group's acquisition will mean more opportunities for patients to join the practices, more services available, further improvements to the facilities, and more opportunities for staff.”

Glasgow Times:

The acquisition takes Scottish Dental Care, which is owned by brothers Christopher and Philip Friel, to 19 practices.

The group consists of 80 dentists and employs more than 200 team members, serving around 200,000 patients.

Its practices provide a range of treatments with most offering NHS services alongside private care.

Glasgow Times:

Lynn Hood, chief executive of Scottish Dental Care, said: “To be approached on the strength of our values is fantastic and reaffirms that what we are doing is working and word is spreading.

“Gorbals and Barrhead are first-rate dental practices that have provided their patients with the utmost quality of care. Fraser should be proud of everything he has achieved as owner and we are looking forward to carrying on his legacy.

“We already have big plans and have the resources to ensure the highest quality of NHS and private provision to patients for many years to come.”