Getting straight to the point! Or should that be needle point, with the addition of a new acupuncture multi-bed clinic at the NCA.
But why now? Lara explains ‘Running a multi-bed clinic in the college has been an ambition of ours for a long time as many of our graduates will go on to work in high volume community settings. The need to increase the capacity in the clinic after lockdown has catapulted us into launching this, a good example of the sort of creative change we’re finding space for this year! We are also really keen to promote the work of the Association of Community Multibed Acupuncture Clinics (ACMAC) and hope to host their next in-person conference!’
Acupuncturist and former NCA graduate, Sarah Crockford kindly tells us more….So what is a multi-bed clinic?
Multi-bed clinics, often run in a community setting, are a model where several patients are treated within the same space. The practitioner is able to leave the patient whilst the needles are in and treat somebody else. This lowers the cost of treating a patient, making acupuncture more accessible to a range of people.
The lower price facilitated by this model means that patients can benefit from more frequent treatments. Many patients have said that they benefit from being in a shared healing space, however I recognise that this style may not suit everyone.
In the UK, most acupuncture treatments take place as individual consultations that typically last an hour. Interestingly this is based on the model used by psychotherapists, reflecting the background of the early founders of this medicine here. In China, where of course acupuncture originated, it is normal for many people to be treated in the same room simultaneously. You could therefore argue that multi-beds are a more authentic form of practice.
How did the multibed clinic come about in the NCA?
Unknown to me until about three months ago, the idea of setting up a multibed clinic at the NCA had been an ambition held by Richard and Lara for some years without the time ever being quite right to get it going. This changed because of coronavirus, there was a backlog of students needing to complete their practical training from when the student clinics had to close. This required new and innovative solutions to solve the problem, together with the will to make it happen, so the time was right.
How did you get to become involved?
I think it was from setting up Sheffield Community Acupuncture straight after qualifying, many practitioners do not get involved with multi-beds until sometime after graduating. The inspiration for this came from a short presentation on YouTube by Peter Deadman. Straight away my partner Chris and I knew what we wanted to do when we qualified. We have a background of working for the Red Cross and running a welfare business at music festivals, so the humanitarian spirit is just part of our make-up.
Which staff and students have you worked with to pull this all together?
It has been a team effort. In January, Lara approached us with the idea of setting up and running a multi-bed at the NCA. This was within a rather scary deadline of just six weeks! Chris and I set to work on a plan and in March the clinic opened its doors to its first patients. We have worked closely with Richard, Lara, and Adele, and I know others have worked hard to make this happen. Vicki, Sarah, Jane, Mags, and Ami very bravely volunteered to be the first group of students to train in the clinic during its trial phase.
What challenges have there been in setting this up?
Apart from the time pressures in getting this going, not least from an administrative perspective, the major challenge has been in how to ensure a safe experience for patients, students, and staff. The clinic is following BAcC guidelines very closely to minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus and is trying to set an example of best practice to the students. Amongst the actions that we have taken is to introduce screens separating patients, this goes against the multibed ethic however needs must. In general, everyone involved has pulled together with a can-do approach. The adage of ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’ has certainly been needed.
Has anything gone better than expected?
Patient demand. After the past year of everybody being locked down, I think that there is an enormous pent-up need in people to get treatment for their ailments. The clinic has been full since opening, we are even having to open more appointments.
How is it going so far?
Very well, from a patient perspective, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Student feedback has been that it has been “fantastic, giving a true reflection of how a day-to-day clinic will run when I qualify”. Also, that attending “the multibed clinic has been a good experience with a faster pace”.
‘Having the opportunity as a Year 3 student to work within the multibed clinic has been extremely beneficial for me. It’s has given me an insight of how to manage new and regular patients within a specific timeframe. Mirroring how an established multibed clinic might run but also supporting me to become more efficient in questioning techniques, diagnosis and treatment. Personally I have thoroughly enjoyed it and would encourage my fellow students to attend for the experience. Sarah the supervisor running the multibed has a wealth of knowledge and experience.’
Victoria Denton, Year 3 Acupuncture student at the Northern College of Acupuncture
Personally, I like it that we have quickly developed a supportive team working environment. I hope that having had this experience, the students will be more inclined in the future to think about participating in a community clinic when qualified, as being on your own in practice can feel quite isolating and despite talking to people all day, can be surprisingly lonely.
Any advice for those students interested in attending the clinic?
It’s not for the faint hearted!! However, if students want to push themselves and gain more experience, they will develop the inner confidence that they can cope with clinical reality. A positive attitude helps a lot. I think it is best to jump in and make the most of the opportunity to learn, in an environment where you have the support of a team.
Students in their second and third years can choose to complete five of their clinical training days in the multibed clinic. Hopefully as life returns to ‘normal’ first year students will soon also be able to attend. This is a new aspect to the training at the NCA, as we learn more about how best to shape the experience it will become possible to increase the number of days that students can participate in. Its still early days in this project though!
Things to know about the multi-bed clinic
• The clinic operates on Mondays only
• We can treat 3 people a time (well-distanced with screens between each couch)
• Emergency appointments available going forward
Contact clinic reception to book – 01904 343305 or visit www.nca.ac.uk/the-clinics/acupuncture-clinic
In a major change of policy on the treatment of chronic pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say that in future, doctors should advise sufferers of primary chronic pain to use physical and psychological therapies, including acupuncture, rather than analgesics to manage their pain. NICE’s new guidance potentially affects the way many hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales tackle their condition because between 1% and 6% of the population of England is estimated to have chronic primary pain.
Here at the NCA we are hoping that this will open up acupuncture as a treatment to a whole new cohort of patients, broaden the appeal of acupuncture to a wider demographic, and (dare we hope?) encourage greater integration with the NHS for our graduates and all acupuncturists in the UK.