101 good reasons

101 good reasons to create, work at, and use multi-bed clinics

How can patients benefit from multi-bed clinics?

• By reducing the cost of treatments, patients are able to have acupuncture frequently enough and for long enough to properly get better and stay better.

• If acupuncture in the UK is only provided in private, high cost clinics in a one-to-one format, it will only ever be available to a limited, affluent section of our community; someone less well off will have to make real sacrifices to get the treatment they need. It’s time to make acupuncture more accessible for people who need it.

• One-to-one practitioners offering cheaper treatments to patients in need is an act of real kindness, but it can make patients feel uncomfortable, knowing that every treatment is a ‘favour’. In multi-beds patients know they’re getting a good deal that works well for practitioners too.

• Some sort of amazing unexpected community spirit emerges in multi-bed acupuncture clinics. Patients consistently report that they like the sense of togetherness they find there. Overhearing other people talking about difficult, personal issues can feel weird for some people to start with, but soon it has the effect of reminding us all that we aren’t the only ones with troubles, we are all human and in this thing called life together, and that it’s ok to be upset and vulnerable in this safe and respectful space.

How can practitioners benefit from working in multi-bed clinics?

• The only way you get better at acupuncture is with practice - treating several patients per hour provides practitioners with the potential to amass enormous clinical experience.

• Working in the same room as other practitioners means every moment can be full of observation and learning. Everyone picks up and shares different tips and new ideas.

• Yes, its true that you’ve got to treat lots more patients to make this pay, but hit a certain critical mass and charge the right amount, and pay it does.

• Treating this way releases practitioners from the there’s-not-enough-patients drama, by massively increasing our potential market, so there really is enough to go round.

• You no longer need to offer low-cost one-to-one treatments with high overheads.

• It’s easier to publicise multi-beds in the local press etc, because you have something new and different to offer and to talk about. You’re not stepping in to a market where patients may be limited or provision saturated; you’re opening up a whole new, almost unlimited market. Many people would like to use acupuncture, if they think they can afford it.

Some other good reasons…

• Multi-bed acupuncture clinics are a successful, socially responsible business model, capable of creating real wealth in our community, ie providing a living wage for practitioners coupled with access to affordable and high-quality treatments for patients.

• Of all complementary therapies, acupuncture is uniquely suitable for this style of treatment, because needles take time to do their work. Obviously it is not possible to massage several people at once, for example. Complementary therapies (horrible term) can really change peoples’ lives for the better – as acupuncturists we have the opportunity to take our therapy to a wider section of our community.

• Acupuncture and counseling are different. Some acupuncture practitioners may spend an hour counseling needy or demanding patients (during an acupuncture session): if this is what they want to do, and if they are sufficiently trained to do this safely, that’s fine. However, it can be frustrating or draining (talking isn’t acupuncture); also, some patients prefer quiet time during their treatments. At the Dragon Acupuncture Project, for example, our experience and a bit of research leads us to believe that about 98% of our patients do not need 45 or 60 minutes of one-to-one talking time with a practitioner, although we always have private talking space available. We therefore believe that treatments provided in multi-bed clinics are in no way inferior or lacking for the vast majority of people, and are more likely to offer positive additional experiences rather than negative.

• Working within the NHS has its good points – regular money, lots of patients, etc, and the NHS has to be more likely to use multi-bed clinics to provide acupuncture than one-to-one clinics, if they’re responsible with their resources that is. But the NHS has its down-sides too – bureaucracy, constraints of working with an institution that doesn’t understand what we do, etc. For practitioners who wish to make their treatments more accessible, whilst avoiding the NHS, multi-bed clinics may be best way forward.

Some difficulties with multi-bed clinics

• It can be tiring. If you’re busy there might not be many moments to sit down or grab a cup of tea.

• Keeping several patients on the go at once can take a bit of getting used to.

• You’ve really got to keep those patient numbers up (although that is no different from any other sort of practice).

(please let us know your additions to this list)



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		101 good reasons to create, work at, and use multi-bed clinics How can patients benefit from multi-bed clinics? • By reducing the cost of treatments, patients are able to have acupuncture frequently enough and for long enough to properly get better and stay better. • If acupuncture in the UK is only provided in private, high cost clinics in a one-to-one format, it will only ever be available to a limited, affluent section of our community; someone less well off will have to make real sacrifices to get the treatment they need. It’s time to make acupuncture more accessible for people who need it. • One-to-one practitioners offering cheaper treatments to patients in need is an act of real kindness, but it can make patients feel uncomfortable, knowing that every treatment is a ‘favour’. In multi-beds patients know they’re getting a good deal that works well for practitioners too. • Some sort of amazing unexpected community spirit emerges in multi-bed acupuncture clinics. Patients consistently report that they like the sense of togetherness they find there. Overhearing other people talking about difficult, personal issues can feel weird for some people to start with, but soon it has the effect of reminding us all that we aren’t the only ones with troubles, we are all human and in this thing called life together, and that it’s ok to be upset and vulnerable in this safe and respectful space. How can practitioners benefit from working in multi-bed clinics? • The only way you get better at acupuncture is with practice - treating several patients per hour provides practitioners with the potential to amass enormous clinical experience. • Working in the same room as other practitioners means every moment can be full of observation and learning. Everyone picks up and shares different tips and new ideas. • Yes, its true that you’ve got to treat lots more patients to make this pay, but hit a certain critical mass and charge the right amount, and pay it does. • Treating this way releases practitioners from the there’s-not-enough-patients drama, by massively increasing our potential market, so there really is enough to go round. • You no longer need to offer low-cost one-to-one treatments with high overheads. • It’s easier to publicise multi-beds in the local press etc, because you have something new and different to offer and to talk about. You’re not stepping in to a market where patients may be limited or provision saturated; you’re opening up a whole new, almost unlimited market. Many people would like to use acupuncture, if they think they can afford it. Some other good reasons… • Multi-bed acupuncture clinics are a successful, socially responsible business model, capable of creating real wealth in our community, ie providing a living wage for practitioners coupled with access to affordable and high-quality treatments for patients. • Of all complementary therapies, acupuncture is uniquely suitable for this style of treatment, because needles take time to do their work. Obviously it is not possible to massage several people at once, for example. Complementary therapies (horrible term) can really change peoples’ lives for the better – as acupuncturists we have the opportunity to take our therapy to a wider section of our community. • Acupuncture and counseling are different. Some acupuncture practitioners may spend an hour counseling needy or demanding patients (during an acupuncture session): if this is what they want to do, and if they are sufficiently trained to do this safely, that’s fine. However, it can be frustrating or draining (talking isn’t acupuncture); also, some patients prefer quiet time during their treatments. At the Dragon Acupuncture Project, for example, our experience and a bit of research leads us to believe that about 98% of our patients do not need 45 or 60 minutes of one-to-one talking time with a practitioner, although we always have private talking space available. We therefore believe that treatments provided in multi-bed clinics are in no way inferior or lacking for the vast majority of people, and are more likely to offer positive additional experiences rather than negative. • Working within the NHS has its good points – regular money, lots of patients, etc, and the NHS has to be more likely to use multi-bed clinics to provide acupuncture than one-to-one clinics, if they’re responsible with their resources that is. But the NHS has its down-sides too – bureaucracy, constraints of working with an institution that doesn’t understand what we do, etc. For practitioners who wish to make their treatments more accessible, whilst avoiding the NHS, multi-bed clinics may be best way forward. Some difficulties with multi-bed clinics • It can be tiring. If you’re busy there might not be many moments to sit down or grab a cup of tea. • Keeping several patients on the go at once can take a bit of getting used to. • You’ve really got to keep those patient numbers up (although that is no different from any other sort of practice). (please let us know your additions to this list)