Spray Vision
25th April 2023
OM Magazine, Issue 169, June 2023
30th May 2023
A couple from Cornwall have dedicated their lives to deliver exceptional heart care to the people of Devon & Cornwall and endeavour to create their own hub of local clinical professionals. One night, over dinner, Sarah and Sean were talking and saw a gap in the market, what if there was a way to use their combined skills to help improve cardiac testing efficiency in West Devon? Fast forward nine years, we got the opportunity to meet the dynamic duo, in their brand-new clinic (which has just undergone a massive renovation) to find out more about creating not only a space to host their own growing echocardiography business, but also a clinic for other practitioners.
The ambitious couple are quite the business pairing, with Sean’s medical background originally as a medic in the armed services, then as echocardiographer (cardiac sonographer) and Sarah’s business and financial acumen from her career as a Commercial Bank Manager. Through Sean’s varied career history in numerous cardiology departments spanning the length and breadth of the country, he saw first-hand the many ways different NHS Trusts managed the referral process and subsequent image handling / sharing of these echocardiograms (ultrasound scans of the heart). One night over dinner, the couple got talking about these processes, the improvements they thought they could make and the business idea was conceived.
In 2017, after years of hard work behind the scenes, Ultracardiac was born. Over the last five years they’ve far exceeded their own expectations, winning the contracts and most notably the trust of our local hospitals across Devon and Cornwall, and the ICBs (Integrated Care Boards) responsible for the echoes within the GP network. They have seen the business grow to nearly twenty staff working from ten sites across our region.
This year brings an even more exciting new business venture for the couple, TOR VIEW CLINICAL ROOMS. With the spectacular success of Ultracardiac, Sarah and Sean have relocated to a larger premises in Estover to accommodate their growing business, with plenty of room for potential. Within their time working in the industry, the Gundry’s recognised the lack of dedicated, high quality clinical space available in the area and saw a great opportunity for well-appointed, flexible rooms on short and long term rental contracts, to other clinical professionals. They also have an admin team on hand upstairs in the newly refurbished offices, should that be required for any business along with full time receptionist on the front desk. They really have covered all business bases.
With help of interior design company Kate Norcott Design, the CQC (Care Quality Commission) approved premises has been fully rebranded giving it its own identity so that any partnering businesses such as; a sports therapist or aesthetics practitioner, can work within the building and not be under Ultra Cardiac branding. The clinical rooms themselves are a blank canvas so that any business renting the space can create an environment tailored for their clients.
Not forgetting about the core members of any business, the staff, Kate Norcott has lovingly created a stunning kitchen and lounge area for members of the clinic to feel proud of where they work and valued. Norcott has subtly incorporated the new Ultra Cardiac colours within the interior design to pay compliments to the founders of the business.
“Our staff work incredibly hard and have set a really high bar in terms of quality of the service we provide - the environment we have created here is our thank you for their awesomeness”
Clinics can be an intimidating experience, so the creative vision was to take visiting patients and customers on a journey. The waiting room is purposely designed to feel familiar, homely and calming with the warm lights and a soft colour palette. The seating benches are higher to make sitting down and standing up easier and less strenuous for patients. The hope is that any patients feeling nervous or anxious when they arrive, will be more relaxed and comforted by the ambience created.
When moving from the waiting room into the corridor, it starts to feel more clinical with brighter lights yet retaining the stylish but more subdued modern aesthetic. Then, entering the clinical room itself, patients can expect to see the familiar white space, giving them confidence they are in an upmarket clinic and a professional environment. In our experience when visiting Tor View Clinical Rooms, we were greeted with a warm welcome by the friendly staff and felt instantly relaxed as soon as we entered the practice.
The heart is not like the baby toe, a baby toe we can live without, but the heart is one of most important organs in the human body and it’s imperative to know you’re in safe hands. With highly experienced and professionally accredited staff, Ultracardiac pride themselves on being able to provide this level of care and service to Devon and Cornwall. Using software which is Cloud based, all Echo reports can be shared with GP’s and Hospitals, or any other clinician in a patient’s care pathway, thereby avoiding the need for unnecessary repeat tests saving NHS money and patient’s valuable time.
Whilst UltraCardiac get a high number of referrals from various NHS sources, patients can also self-refer. There are actually only a few defined reasons why a patient may be able to have an echocardiogram on the NHS via a GP, but you may wish to self-refer for a variety of reasons. There may be a family history of heart problems and you’d like to avoid waiting lists or just for peace of mind, UltraCardiac’s tests will be able to tell you about the structure, valves and pumping function of the heart, as well as the electrical rhythm. Remaining true to their core values of trust, integrity, and honesty it is important that Ultracardiac’s services are accessible and affordable for everyone, with prices starting as low as £50.
To make their services as accessible as possible to as many as possible, a number of the machines are portable, meaning they can provide their services in satellite clinics in more rural areas with the same level of care and service.
Of course, we are all aware of the pressures the NHS are under, not to mention our own pockets. Their genuine passion to help the community is noticed as soon as you enter the clinic with everything they have accomplished and their efforts to create a space for people to feel safe and taken care of.
It’s evident that the pair have hit fantastic milestones in their short time being established, but where do they see themselves in five years? Tor View Clinical Rooms aims to be a one stop shop for patients to visit for medical appointments with a variety of businesses working cohesively and become THE clinical hub for Devon and Cornwall.
“APPOINTMENTS WITHIN DAYS, RESULTS WITHIN HOURS.”
£50 – electrocardiogram (ECG)
£195 – echocardiogram with sonographer’s report. (Echo)
£245 – echocardiogram, sonographer’s report plus comments from a consultant cardiologist.
£395 – symptomatic patients “one stop shop” – echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, telephone consultation with consultant cardiologist and follow up letter.
Results will be with you in 24 hours.
If you are interested in renting one of their clinic rooms, please contact Sarah on Sarah@ultracardiac.co.uk
