Karen Murray

Regional Operations & Change Manager with 25+ years’ continuous experience in one growing healthcare organisation, starting in 1997 with an independent dental practice which was later acquired by Portman Healthcare / Portman Dentex and expanded into a 450‑site UK‑wide group. Responsible for leading multi‑site healthcare services across Scotland and the wider UK.

Proven track record of: Experienced in optimising performance across multi sites, with a strong focus on cost controls, operational efficiencies, resource utilisation and sustainable commercial performance. Identifying opportunities to reduce costs, improve productivity, while maintaining high standards of patient care and colleague engagement. Commercially sharp, highly people‑centric and confident in fast‑moving, metrics‑driven settings.

Comfortable with hybrid working, extensive regional travel, and acting as the senior escalation point for service / client issues. Known for calm, empathetic, straight‑talking leadership, particularly in emotionally charged situations and for coaching managers and teams so they can operate confidently without constant escalation. Brings high standards of compliance and safeguarding, a strong sense of duty from Royal Navy service, and a genuinely supportive style that combines challenge with care, giving employers a resilient, values‑driven regional leader who can stabilise teams, protect quality and grow the business.

Operational Change Manager at Portman Dentex Group (2026-01 – 2026-08)

Short‑term operational change remit following national restructure across practices after Portman’s acquisition of Dentex.

• Led end‑to‑end integration projects for newly acquired independent practices into the corporate network.
• Acted as primary on‑site contact for practice owners and clinical teams, managing expectations, concerns and resistance during transition.
• Coordinated IT, compliance, HR, payroll and clinical systems teams to deliver smooth go‑live and minimise service disruption.
• Example project: acquisition and merger of a 2‑surgery independent practice (c.2 dentists, 3 nurses, 1 practice manager) into a 7‑surgery referral clinic in Virginia Water, Surrey.
• Migrated clinical and patient systems onto SFD (from mixed/under‑used legacy systems) including x‑ray, CT scan and imaging integrations.
• Managed and resolved significant IT and data‑path issues (lost imaging paths, CT scanner interoperability) through structured stakeholder updates, prioritisation and escalation.
• Supported headcount review and redeployment: assessed staffing needs, managed natural attrition, and identified where not to back‑fill full‑time roles to align with activity.
• Provided a stabilising, visible presence on site, ensuring continuity of service and staff engagement.
• Maintained high standards of compliance and patient safety throughout transitional periods.

Operations Manager at Portman Dentex Group (2021-07 – 2025-12)

Regional operations lead for “Team Scotland” following merger and national restructure. Direct line management of c.14 Practice Managers across Scotland, with responsibility for c.28 practices in the wider Team Scotland cohort shared with an opposite‑number based in Dundee.

Territory initially spanned: Scottish Borders, Edinburgh, across to Glasgow, Falkirk and up to Perth. Restructured to a north/south split, taking Edinburgh, Glasgow and all practices southward to improve coverage and responsiveness.

• Full accountability for regional performance:
• Co‑built annual budgets and business plans with each Practice Manager, based on historical performance, clinician mix, recall rates, white space analysis, and local demand.
• Monitored revenue, colleague cost as % of turnover, utilisation and private vs NHS mix; intervened early where KPIs slipped.
• Used a red / amber / green (RAG) framework to prioritise support and interventions across the region.
• Workforce engagement & retention:
• Line‑managed Practice Managers while staying closely connected to clinical and nursing teams.
• Regularly dealt with escalations from dentists and nurses (often highly emotive), resolving issues through honest, pragmatic conversations.
• Focused on succession planning for long‑standing clinicians to mitigate revenue loss and patient churn when senior figures retired or left.
• Business development & growth:
• Worked with practices to grow private revenue ethically - e.g. introducing whitening, extending opening hours, ring‑fencing private sessions, and matching clinician aspirations to local demand.
• Supported referral growth across a UK‑wide network of specialist centres.
• Compliance & quality:
• In a portfolio of 27 Operations Managers, achieved compliance scores of c.97% across practices, placing in the top tier nationally.
• Regularly resolved safeguarding‑adjacent and quality issues, including infection control, instrument processing, GDC registrations, and immunisation status.
• Widely recognised internally for strong people leadership, coaching and team connectivity.

Operations / Business Manager, Multi‑Site Practice (Acquired by Portman 2021) at Portman Dentex Group (1997-11 – 2021-06)

Business Manager for a large specialist referral practice as it transitioned into corporate ownership.

• Oversaw day‑to‑day operations, financial performance, and integration of corporate systems and reporting.
• Joined as a part‑time Dental Nurse and progressed into Practice Manager (from 2005), eventually overseeing the growth of a single‑handed practice into a 10‑surgery referral clinic.
• Led day‑to‑day operations, financial management, staff leadership and patient experience.
• Managed relationships with referring practices locally and regionally as the clinic became a major referral centre.
• Successfully navigated the acquisition by Portman, later taking on wider area and referral responsibilities.

Dental Practice Manager / Dental Nurse at Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) (1990-01 – 1997-07)

• Joined the Royal Navy at 17 as a trainee Dental Nurse; progressed to Naval Airbase Dental Practice Manager.
• Delivered dental services across bases including Helston (Cornwall), Plymouth, Portsmouth, Arbroath (with Royal Marines) and Faslane (submarine fleet).
• Supported operational dental readiness for submariners and front‑line personnel, including helicopter‑deployed clinics onto surfacing submarines.
• Gained strong grounding in clinical standards, infection control, record‑keeping, and working under pressure in highly regulated environments.

National Certificate in Dental Nursing – NEBDN

National Certificate in Conscious Sedation – NEBDN

Business Coaching – Coach Barrow Extreme Business Coaching School (2018)