We spoke to Neeraj from Reach Pharmacy in Scotland, who recently expanded his pharmacy services to deliver ear and hearing healthcare with Tympa.
What influenced your decision to offer ear and hearing healthcare in your pharmacy?
After GPs in our local area stopped providing ear wax removal on the NHS, our chemist was having a lot of customers visit enquiring to see where they could get their ears looked at. We decided to investigate offering this service ourselves as the demand for it was obvious.
How have you found adding an additional service to your pharmacy?
Since the outset, this service has been a tremendous success! Customers are enthusiastic that we now offer this in the community and are really pleased with the results.
How much demand has there been for the service?
The demand has been amazing! Word of mouth has been especially powerful for us. Patients are recommending us to other patients, who in turn have recommended us to the local GPs who our now referring directly to us.
What has been your favourite thing about using the Tympa device?
The Tympa is a great machine! I love using it as I can clearly see the structure of the ear and the wax on the large screen. It makes my job so much easier! Another feature of the Tympa I love is the ability to take high-resolution images via the Tympa HD Otoscopy, as I share these with my patients – who love to see the before and after photos. I can also use these same images to share with GPs when referring on for treatment of ear infections etc.
What has been your experience with the training provided by Tympa?
The Tympa Training has been excellent, it was very interactive and made me feel confident to deliver this service.
Do you have a standout patient story where you feel you really made a difference?
I had a daughter who brought her mother to have her ears looked at. After removing the wax build-up that was present, the mother could hear her daughter much clearer – a significant improvement for her which she had been struggling with over a couple of years. There were many tears shed by all.
What methods have worked well when it comes to getting the word out about your new Tympa service?
Provide the best service possible and the rest will take care of itself. Patient reviews have been key for us as it always works better to have a recommendation from a patient than us talking about ourselves.
Any advice for other pharmacies starting out on their Tympa journey?
Try it, what’s to lose!
