UK Primary Care Payment Practices: A Mixed Bag in 2024

The Numbers

• Companies Analyzed: 20
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 68.6/100
• UK Average (all sectors): 50.0/100
• Primary Care Advantage: 18.6 points above the UK average
• South West Average: 89.0/100 (4 companies)
• West Midlands Average: 80.6/100 (1 company)
• Wales Average: 66.2/100 (1 company)
• North West Average: 65.4/100 (5 companies)
• South East Average: 64.3/100 (3 companies)

What Stands Out

While the Primary Care sector as a whole demonstrates better payment practices than the UK average, the disparity between the best and worst payers is pretty stark, suggesting variable operational efficiency across the board. The South West region is punching well above its weight, but with just four companies sampled, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions without more data.

Best Payers

1. DENPLAN LIMITED - 100/100
2. OASIS DENTAL CARE (CENTRAL) LIMITED - 95/100
3. OASIS DENTAL CARE (SOUTHERN) LIMITED - 94.7/100
4. XEON SMILES UK LIMITED - 94.6/100
5. HCRG CARE LTD - 92.86/100

Worst Payers

1. HALEON UK TRADING LIMITED - 42.6/100
2. WHITECROSS DENTAL CARE LIMITED - 44.5/100
3. PETRIE TUCKER AND PARTNERS LIMITED - 46.5/100
4. IDH LIMITED - 46.5/100
5. COOPERVISION MANUFACTURING LIMITED - 50.38/100

Regional Patterns

The South West is clearly the quickest region to pay, with an average score of 89.0/100 from four companies. It significantly outpaces other regions and is an outlier of note, given the wider distribution of other regions whose scores are much closer to the overall Primary Care average of 68.6. This could indicate regional operational differences or simply reflect a smaller, potentially unrepresentative, sample.

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Takeaway: The 57.4-point gap between DENPLAN LIMITED (100/100) and HALEON UK TRADING LIMITED (42.6/100) is a powerful reminder that experiences can vary wildly within the UK Primary Care sector, despite an average score that sits well above the national benchmark.