We got in touch with Gillian Clancy from Feet First Foot Clinic who has recently expanded her Foot Health Practitioner service to include ear and hearing health check-ups.
How did you find out about the Tympa System?
I began researching ear wax removal as I had begun to see it around a bit more. There wasn’t much in my local area but after a bit of research I discovered TympaHealth. I did a bit of research on Dr. Krishan and thought the Tympa System looked like a great route to go down and signed up to the training there and then.
As a Foot Health Practitioner what interested you in the Tympa system?
I see a lot of patients for foot health related issues. They were always asking me where they can get their ears checked as the local GP had stopped offering wax removal services and there was only 1 other place locally, but it was constantly fully booked. I thought it would be perfect to increase my care offering to deliver ear and hearing health check-ups alongside my foot health service, that way patients can have everything looked at in one place!
Do you work domiciliary as well?
We currently are delivering domiciliary ear and hearing health check-ups as well. The demand for this has been incredibly high, I now have two people working specifically on this.
How has your journey with Tympa been so far?
All I can say is I recommend it to anyone. The training was delivered really well and the Tympa System itself is easy to use.
Do you have any standout patient stories where you feel you really made a difference?
One in particular where I carried out an appointment for a patient. Using the Tympa System, I took images of the inside of the patient’s ear and discovered something of concern. I sent this to be reviewed by the team at Tympa and they said the patient needed to be referred. Because I was able to produce a professional PDF with images and it was from TympaHealth the patient was able to get an immediate appointment and is now going for an operation.
What types of customers use your service?
I see everyone. There is such a variety. Hearing issues affect people of all ages, from young adults to my latest patient who was 100 years old! He was so delighted with the service that he shared my information with his local audiology department and GP.
How do people find out about your service?
I’ve used a number of different methods to raise awareness about my service. Local newspapers and parish papers are really useful. The best for me has always been word of mouth. I get a lot of new customers who’ve been referred by a friend – which is great! I’ve now even managed to get some adverts in my local hospital.
What are your plans for the future?
Demand for the service has been so high in my local area that I am now in talks with a local GP to set up a clinic in a neighbouring town.
Do you have any advice for Foot Health Practitioners considering expanding their service?
Just do it. Tympa is a natural fit for any foot health practitioner. To be honest most health-related services – whether you’re a chiropractor or a nurse it’s a good fit! It’s definitely something that everybody needs and there are so few places for people to go at the moment, especially as most GP’s aren’t running the service anymore.
I think as you already have a good relationship with your customers for foot health, they trust you to deliver this new service to the same high standard. Plus, the demand is there, I’m already at a 60/40 split and ear care just keeps on growing!
What has been your favourite thing about the Tympa?
To me the best bit has been the ease of use. You’ve got everything you need in one device and when you need support there is always someone there to call on for advice and guidance.
