Similar minded people, running businesses of a similar size, were really hard to find.<\/strong> MSKPN has filled a gap in the market for our business and healthcare needs.<\/strong> What is MSKPN giving you as a growing business?<\/strong> What inspired you to be a MSK clinician?<\/strong> Tell me about your practice, size and location?<\/strong> What do you love about your work?<\/strong> You can spend a lot of time worrying and thinking \u201cam I doing something wrong?\u201d<\/strong> What did you do before MSKPN?<\/strong> The MSKPN provided the environment to come together as a group which saves an enormous amount of time<\/strong> and you know you\u2019re not stepping on people\u2019s toes or creating relationships that are too hard to form.<\/p>\n Members recognise we are not competing against each other<\/strong> There is a lot of good information shared, blogs and books to read. I\u2019ve been trying to do this for myself for the last 8 years.<\/strong> Someone suggested a great book the other day which is brilliant \u2013 it would have taken me days of research to look into it myself. This type of healthcare is very niche \u2013 it\u2019s not the same as running an accountancy firm. We are very isolated. Even osteopaths and chiropractors are better trained in the business sense.<\/p>\n How did you come to be a member of MSKPN?<\/strong> What advice would you give other practices?<\/strong>
\nHaving been a company owner for 8 years, I\u2019m constantly on the lookout for peers who are serious about driving up quality and standards, to have an intelligent conversation with. We fall between 2 camps, sandwiched between the single-handed practices who are focused on making a living, and the large entities in private or hospital settings. There didn\u2019t seem to be anything out there for us. We are involved in local and national groups, but nothing worked for our needs.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I came across MSKPN I found what I was looking for and quickly started seeing the benefits. I was able to find others who were similar in size, work in a similar way and who have physio and Pilates. This has really helped so that I can find someone to answer my questions or give me their opinion about what they have tried.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Mentorship indirectly<\/strong> \u2013 I don\u2019t need direct mentorship but this is giving me ideas, the confidence to bounce things off others, hearing other people ask the question I\u2019m thinking and get the answer.
\n\u2022 Commercial clout<\/strong> \u2013 MSKPN has developed a great relationship with Bupa and the insurers which is really reassuring. Other bodies haven\u2019t got the same negotiation and commercial skills and I\u2019ve felt let down by broken promises and a lack of leadership.
\n\u2022 Openness<\/strong> – People are open minded enough to give sensitive commercial information and they\u2019re doing it for the greater good.<\/p>\n
\nI was a sporty kid and after a work experience day, I came home and said to my mum \u201cthis is what I want to do\u201d. It ticked all the boxes – medicine, science, rehab and spending time with people. After studying at the University of Ulster and completing my MSc in Cardiff, I\u2019ve now been a MSK physio for 30 years, working 10 years in the NHS, 10 years at the MOD as head of lower limb trauma and the last 8 years in private practice. I\u2019m a retired Army reservist leaving after 18 years, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\nThe practice is owned by my family and my business partner\u2019s family. Carolyn\u2019s husband is our business analyst and business director. My husband sits on the board but is not medical and gives business direction. We have a team of about 20 self-employed physios who are all part time. We have a permanent reception team and practice manager. We also have some self-employed chiropodists, podiatrists, sports massage therapists and run a Pilates business in the building which we rent, consisting of 2 studios, a gym and 9 consulting rooms in a standalone building on the high street.<\/p>\n
\nOver the more recent years what I really like is the business side of things. My father owned a couple of successful retail businesses and I guess I\u2019ve absorbed some of this over the years. I enjoy the team aspects of what I do \u2013 I\u2019ve always been in team sports or teams in the army. I\u2019ve enjoyed building a team and I like the mentorship, leadership and comradeship the most.<\/p>\n
\nDuring the webinars and live events I listen to the commercial side of things and it helps greatly to learn that other people are going through the same problems as me. It can be very frustrating when you come across problems and you think you are the only one with the issue, but it\u2019s largely a UK wide industry-shared problem such as how social environments have changed, staffing issues, educational problems, Covid etc.<\/p>\n
\nWe reached out to people, but you have to work hard to find the right people to talk to. Some were open minded clinics further down the country as they could see we weren\u2019t trying to compete with them. Some were experienced but others had very little business experience. However the relationships weren\u2019t sustainable, as people retired or moved on, so it was hard.<\/p>\n
\nThe members understand that information sharing is a good thing. I\u2019m still trying to act as a clinician and run a business and it\u2019s great to receive such honest and open feedback – they don\u2019t hold back!<\/p>\n
\nMy business partner found them through a Linked In page. We didn\u2019t come to it right at the beginning of Covid but I wish I had. It was like paddling furiously below the water to keep afloat. I looked back at some of the videos and resources and some of it would have been really useful.<\/p>\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have to battle on our own.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nI\u2019d tell them to really consider what they\u2019re not currently getting, identify their frustrations and realise there are other people out there who are willing to help. MSKPN is an organisation that can tick all the boxes.<\/p>\n