Osteo and Physio group goes from strength to strength
A private health clinic - which began with a single practitioner - has become the largest of its kind in the south west in just seven years, delivering more than 1,000 hours of patient treatments every month.
The Osteo and Physio group continues to grow by about 20 - 25% a year, and has now opened branches in Exeter and Tiverton, alongside its Cullompton clinic.
The company, which was established in 2009 by Osteopath Jonathan Boxall, helps people relieve back, joint and muscle pain and other conditions through a range of manual therapies. It now has 15 practitioners working across all locations making it a significant local employer.
Jonathan says: ‘We have seen seven years of rapid growth bringing better health and improving the wellbeing of thousands of people in the region.’
He attributes the success of the company to the focus its therapists place on the root causes of patients’ conditions and their knowledge and skill in treatment.
He adds: ‘The biggest factor in our growth and success is the way we connect with our patients and ensure that we properly understand the causes of their pain. We have got a sufficient depth of knowledge to always have a solution, even if that solution is outside of our own core expertise and requires signposting to the NHS or another type of practitioner.
‘We are always realistic about the advice we give and what the therapy can treat. In over 90 per cent of cases the therapies we offer give people tremendous results. It’s not just about solving one particular problem, it’s about being willing to look at the bigger picture and discover the true nature of the problem. Because we treat the whole body, what we have found over the years is that patients often report symptoms improving that they didn’t even mention to us about in the first place.’
Jonathan originally pursued a career in information technology, but left that to train as an Osteopath, a path he describes as his ‘true calling’. But he sees his early experience as an IT professional and later as an online retail business owner, as invaluable in helping him to develop his successful company.
He says: ‘I left the world of business and computers in order to service the needs of my fellow man and woman in a very direct way. But having these earlier skills and experience has allowed me to develop the business and help people much more effectively.
‘I still spend time refining our software and business practices to facilitate the expansion and smooth running of the business.’
One of the challenges Jonathan has faced has been the rapid growth of the business and staying organised while running multiple branches.
He adds: ‘We have had to embrace a willingness to change, investing the time and capital the business has required. We have also had to accept that we can’t do everything and we sometimes make the wrong business decisions. But when we have tripped up with investment decisions, we have stayed focused on our vision and managed to overcome obstacles whilst learning from our mistakes.’
Jonathan is also very aware of how he looks after and educates his practitioners, offering an extensive program of continued professional development and ensuring they have got the resources they need to treat patients effectively.
He adds: ‘I see us as a cooperative, rather than a profit led organisation, with the practitioners, patients and management understanding and seeking same aims; we recruit therapists of the highest standards and we collaborate to bring better health and wellbeing to local people. Of Course it is nice that the business is profitable, but this is just a side effect of the wealth created for everyone concerned through the giving of health.’
Osteo and Physio offers treatments at its clinics in Holmedale Health, Denmark Road, Exeter; 31b Gold Street, Tiverton and at the Natural Health Practice in Cullompton.
For more information visit www.osteoandphysio.co.uk
