What is needed to set up your own clinic?

‘You have changed my life!’ How many times have we, as pharmacists, heard a patient say this to us? In our day-to-day jobs, hardly ever?  What if I told you I hear this said five to ten times a week?  

How many of us really love our role as a pharmacist? When we chose pharmacy as a profession, I am sure one of the reasons was to make a difference to people’s lives and we all do it one way or another every time we have our pharmacist hats on. 

Out of everything I do as a pharmacist, which service do you think gets me amazing feedback like this? Ear wax removal! Personally, I have not had my hearing affected before and some of you may be able to relate, but can you imagine not being able to have a conversation with someone or not hear what’s going on around you? I never knew until I started providing ear wax removal service in my private clinic. 

The difference I make to people’s lives, the gratitude they display and to hear the words above lets me know that I am providing a service that is worthwhile. Especially with the NHS not offering ear wax removal service any longer, I have certainly increased access to a service that is much needed and is constantly searched for online by thousands. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                

Me at the grand opening of my first clinic in Deptford 

 

So, what is this private clinic I set up without being a pharmacy owner? 

I am a wife and a mother of two beautiful daughters, which is more than a full-time job. Being a social butterfly, with many different social groups, keeps me extra busy. My background has always been community pharmacy and, after getting my independent prescribing qualification in 2018, I wanted to set up a business where I can work for myself. But my main aim was to increase access to healthcare for services that the NHS was not commissioning any longer. 

 So I set up Siri Healthcare in 2018, starting with a travel clinic and then expanding to offer other services. Believe me, there is a demand and people are happy to pay and are so pleased that they can access the services they need. However, the supply does not yet meet the demand. I took the opportunity to turn this demand into a profitable business.  

 

 

                                                                                                                     

Me using latest technology to examine the ear 

 

To set my clinic up, I completed considerable training. I was a little lost at times and went through a vast amount of trial and error with the services I wanted to provide. It was a painful journey but I clearly remember one of my mentors saying to me that the only person who stops you from doing what you want to do is you.  Mind-set is everything.  

Yes, I spent money unnecessarily at times, focusing on aspects I thought I needed. It took time and effort to figure out my precise direction and to put in place the various essential services as I saw them. 

The four main aspects are: travel health, ear wax removal, blood testing and B12 injections. Once I set up one clinic, it was easy for me to establish the second and the third. 

If I can do it, so can you. Now that I have mastered it, I can reveal the pitfalls – what not to do and exactly what you need to do to create your own clinic. 

To my surprise, I really enjoyed doing all this training and developing. Every penny I spent I was investing in upskilling myself. Nothing was a waste. 

 

 

                                                                                                                     

Me going through the travel advice leaflet with a patient attending the travel clinic 

 

The thirst grew to a point where I thought to myself that I have a strong knowledge on minor illnesses, how to diagnose and treat them, which is one of the services I provide privately as well as skin and hair clinics.  However, I knew little to nothing about long term conditions. So I decided to apply for a two-day-a-week PCN clinical pharmacist job, working in GP surgeries, which I got. This gave me the opportunity to expand my prescribing scope, and learn a wealth of new skills. It opened my eyes to a new world. 

I have become an educator for my PCN where I am a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) for those pharmacists who are training to become independent prescribers because I believe I have a lot to show them, teach them. 

I am in a unique position to show my IP students primary care life so they can fulfil their training on the chosen clinical area as well as private clinic life, so they get to see how many doors a prescribing qualification can open. This includes online prescribing, another role for which I use my IP skills. Truth be told, most of the private services I offer do not need a prescribing qualification but it is still a powerful tool to have.  

I will be at The Pharmacy Show this year so please come and find me at the Siri Healthcare stand, where I will show you what is needed to set up your own clinic whether or not you own a pharmacy and be your DPP if you wish to undertake an IP qualification. I have a great training team who are experts in these areas – so you don’t have to worry about anything.