Ashludie pharmacy – “We have had full clinics every day!”

After discovering the Tympa system on social media, Bryan at Ashludie pharmacy in Monifieth has been fully booked since he began offering the service and is delighted with the offering.

How did you start your journey using the Tympa System?

“I came across the Tympa System via social media, I took the idea to my two IP Pharmacists, and they were both very enthusiastic from the start”

How much demand has there been for the service?

“There has been an incredible amount of demand. Since we started offering the service, we have had full clinics every day. We have six one hour slots a day with the last one finishing at 4pm, so that we can catch up with dispensing.”

What type of customer uses your service? 

“Predominately it is the elderly population, but we see all ages including children as young as 12. A good percentage are referred to us from other audiology sites like Boots or “private” high street hearing aid centres. We also see a lot of referrals from the NHS hearing centres.”

What methods have worked well when it comes to getting the word out about your new Tympa service?

“A lot of business has come from word of mouth. We also seem to get good feedback from the hearing aid test sites who see patients initially then refer them to us. When they see the patient return for a hearing aid test, they see how effective we have been at removing the wax.”

What obstacles may you have encountered along the way and how did you overcome them?

“Initially we bought a diary to write appointments in, but quickly realised that this was not going to work. I then discovered an online site which was free called “Setmore”. It was very user friendly and adaptable to what we needed. We could also add it to our own website for free for patients to book themselves.”

What are your plans for the future?

“No plans yet, we have not had any time to contemplate the future we’ve been that busy!”

Any advice for others starting out on their Tympa journey?

“If you price yourself competitively then you will thrive. Also, worth considering training up non-pharmacist staff, as it could easily be a full-time job for someone in your pharmacy and you would still make a profit.”

Do you have any standout patient story where you feel you really made a difference?

“A young teenage boy had an initial 5-minute appointment to see if wax was a problem for his dull hearing. We could see there was a problem and booked him in for an hour-long appointment the next day. Initially I got to work removing wax from both ears. Further into the ear canal I could see what I thought was the light reflection on his ear drum but didn’t think I was that far in. On further examination and a bit more wax removal it was in fact a foreign body. After emailing his GP the images, he was referred onto an ENT at our local Hospital the following week. The hospital successfully removed what was an earing stud, it was quick and painless, and now his hearing has much improved.”

What has been your favourite thing about using the Tympa device?

“The most satisfying aspect of the whole service, for all three of us, is the patient satisfaction that you see after removal of wax from an occluded ear and the impact this can have on a patients hearing.”