The Hearing Clinic in Radlett and Hitchin, England, has become the first clinic in the United Kingdom to become Inspired by Ida. With a stated mission to take the time to listen to their clients and to be thorough and enthusiastic about working together with them, the Hearing Clinic was already committed to the principles of person-centered care. As an Inspired clinic, they now have a way of signaling this commitment with the Inspired label.
“Having this benchmark resonates with everything we do,” says clinic owner Bridgitte Harley. “It is a seal of approval and we couldn't be more excited and proud to be the first clinic in the UK to be awarded with this prestigious label.”
Clinics such as the Hearing Clinic achieve their Inspired by Ida status when 80% of staff have completed the courses “Getting Started with Person-Centered Care” and “Client Engagement and Ida Motivation Tools” in the Ida Learning Hall. This includes clinicians as well as front-end staff.
The team at the Hearing Clinic were very pleased with the courses and expressed an appreciation of the initiative. “Person-centered care is at the core of our values and service delivery,” says clinical audiologist Trisha Halai. “We want our patients to experience a journey to hearing health that starts with them at the center of everything we do.”
In particular, Trisha valued the opportunities for reflection in the online courses and the cohesion of having the entire clinic participate. “It helps us look at person-centered care from a slightly different perspective and it helps to open the mind to ways in which we can strengthen our services and move away from the medical model,” she says.
Marion Hall, secretary at the Hearing Clinic, also highlighted the value of all staff taking the courses:
“As a non-clinical member of the team I found the videos showing real life consultations enlightening. It really highlighted the benefits of person-centered care and how rewarding it can be for both the patient and the clinician,” she says. “As I am often the first point of contact for a prospective patient, it helps me to understand their mindset and what they are looking to achieve so that the patient feels reassured that we have their best interests at heart.”
To learn more about Inspired by Ida, including how you can become Inspired, visit our program page.