We spoke to Olutayo from Swinford Pharmacy who has recently expanded their pharmacy services to deliver ear and hearing healthcare with Tympa.
What influenced your decision to offer ear and hearing healthcare in your pharmacy?
We wanted to do more for our patients than just dispensing. We constantly hear patients talk about not being able to access ear wax removal and the fact that most GPs are no longer providing the service offers Pharmacy businesses with the opportunity to expand their services, and ear and hearing healthcare is definitely an area we were looking into.
So, we wanted to support our patients by bringing the service closer to them. We also have no waiting list which is a big plus for our customers.
How have you found adding an additional service to your pharmacy?
It has been great. Especially with the fact that we are upskilling the pharmacy team which means they can have more impact on public health.
How much demand has there been for the service?
We’ve been finding the demand is steadily building up. We know that this can take time, but with it steadily building up, we are confident in getting more patients through our doors for this particular service.
What has been your favourite thing about using the Tympa device?
Our favourite aspect has been the high-resolution camera. The fact that you can show patients the before and after images and videos of their ear cleaning via microsuction and the fact that they can see the difference is a fantastic benefit.
What has been your experience with the training provided by Tympa?
It’s been a very good experience. From start to finish, the training provided was great.
Do you have a standout patient story where you feel you really made a difference?
We gave a patient our ear wax removal leaflet and she said she has been after such a service because people said she was always shouting. On examination, we could see a lot of ear wax in her ears. She was advised to come for the removal but to use olive oil spray for about 5 days before the procedure.
We could not remove everything the first time as she had a small ear canal and lots of ear wax. Her second removal was a success. She was amazed at the lump of ear wax that was removed from her ears. She felt better and she has been one of our patient champions. Telling people to use our ear wax removal service, which was great as word of mouth really does help when trying to get the word out about our additional service.
What methods have worked well when it comes to getting the word out about your new Tympa service?
Word of mouth referral has been working well for us coupled with having conversations with people coming in for ear wax removal products. The leaflets provided by Tympa have been really helpful as well when describing the service we offer.
Any advice for other pharmacies starting out on their Tympa journey?
Take the leap. It is definitely worth it.
