Laura Peacock – In the Spotlight

How long have you been working at Woodborough House?

I’ve been working here since 2005, which makes 18 years. Nick and Sarah inherited me from the previous practice owner, so I am one of the longest-serving members of the Woodborough House team. 

What is your background and your journey to where you are now?

I was first employed at Woodborough House as a trainee dental nurse with no prior experience. I left school at 16 and was uncertain about what I wanted to do. I had been working in jobs that didn’t offer much growth, so I started to look for a role that would offer me the chance to progress and learn. Dental nursing appealed to me because of its caring aspect, plus it offered me the potential for career advancement that I was looking for. 

When I was offered the opportunity to become a dental nurse here all those years ago, I was thrilled. I loved the role, really enjoying the interaction with the patients and feeling part of a team. I have worked my way up the ladder and had a number of different roles in the practice before getting to where I am now.

What is your role?

I’m our Compliance and Clinical Manager. My primary responsibility is to ensure our adherence to CQC regulations and GCD standards. The Care Quality Commission, known as CQC, is the governing body overseeing healthcare practices, including hospitals, doctors’ practices, and dental clinics. They establish a set of regulations that we must comply with, and my role involves a lot of auditing, and risk assessments to guarantee our compliance. Keeping all of our policies up to date and ensuring that we are meeting them day to day is another big part of what I do. 

I find compliance work rewarding because I enjoy understanding what needs to be done and ensuring it gets done correctly. I like to learn new things as well. If someone gives me something to learn about, I will investigate it until the end of the earth! It’s important to me that I understand everything about it. I started this role not knowing much, had plenty of training and taught myself enough to do the role well. I’ve also had lots of encouragement and mentoring from Sarah and Paige around leadership, as I’m naturally quite shy. 

As clinical manager, I oversee our nurses and practice-related training, making sure they attend the appropriate courses, and fulfil their CPD requirements. I also oversee the maintenance of our equipment, facilities and ordering. It’s a role that demands a great deal of organisation!

What is it about your job that you enjoy the most?

There are lots of great aspects about my job that I truly appreciate. I really like the flexibility  that Sarah and Nick have given me, which allows me to balance my work with my family responsibilities. I like a challenge, and fortunately I get plenty of those in my role. Quite often Nick will say, “Can you find me this?”. I’ll go off and investigate and see if I can identify potential sources. I also take satisfaction in making sure that everyone is abiding by the rules. That makes me sound like a nerd, doesn’t it? 

Where would you like your career to go next?

At some point in the future, when my children are older, and I have more time, I’d like to pursue some further qualifications in health and safety. In the meantime, as Woodborough House continues to expand. I’d like to continue to be involved in that growth, managing compliance and supporting the team as we go from strength to strength. At the moment I’m more than happy doing what I’m doing. I really do enjoy my job. 

What is it about the WH culture that you like?

I love the positivity that Sarah and Nick bring to the practice. We get so much encouragement to expand our skills, they want everyone to reach their full potential. 

Also the warmth and friendliness makes working here special.; It is such a nice place to work, I feel that I have a work family rather than a team.

How would you describe WH in 3 words?

Quality
Bespoke
Friendly 

At Woodborough House you get a quality of service that you won’t get elsewhere. We do everything to the highest standard and to the best of our ability. We also always try to adapt to patients’ needs and give everyone a different, personal experience. We do a really good job at that. Some patients actually say that they enjoy coming to see us, even though we are a dental practice! Sarah has amazing people skills and she’s created  an environment where people feel comfortable opening up and sharing their life stories with us.

How do you unwind outside of work?

I like to walk the dog to relax. We have a new puppy – he’s a seven-month-old cocker spaniel called Max. He’s a good boy, he’s pretty intelligent, and definitely full of energy! I walk him every day when I get back from work, my youngest daughter and husband usually come with me. At weekends we go for longer walks and find new places to explore with him. He gets us out of the house, and keeps us all physically active, which is great. 

What’s your favourite film or book?

My favourite films are the Harry Potter films. I don’t have a favourite that stands out, I love them all. My family are all Potterheads so we’ve watched the films together; I love anything about fantasy and magic. I’m watching ‘Wheel of Time’ at the moment, which is really good as well. It’s a series on Amazon Prime about women who can summon power from the earth, and their fight against the dark one. 

What’s your favourite meal?

Macaroni cheese is my absolute favourite. I make it myself about once a week and quite often put something crispy on the top, like bread crumbs or sometimes crushed up crisps. Apart from my eldest son, I’m the only one who likes macaroni cheese. (I’ve got a very fussy family so I tend to cook different things for everybody and I’m the only vegetarian in the house!) Despite that, I’m prepared to make it because I love it so much. 

What was the last picture you took on your phone?

Most likely, it will be related to work. I have a habit of taking pictures as I go around the practice, capturing anything that requires fixing or attention. Actually, it’s one of Max from our last walk in the woods at the Englefield Estate. It’s somewhere we tend to go a lot as it’s only down the road from us. It’s a picture of Max peeking over the top of some long grass. He was busy exploring, and when we called his name, he looked up just as I took the shot.