Family Business of the Year Winners!

We are delighted to win ‘Family Business of the Year’ at the Plymouth Herald Business Awards 2017!

On collecting the award in front of over 500 members of the local business community at Plymouth Pavilions, Dr Wayne Whittingham said: “We are thrilled to win such a prestigious award!  This is recognition for both patients and staff for the family ethos we have here at the clinic.”

Here is the round up of what we’ve done over the past year to win the award:

Now in its 45th year in the city, Plymouth Chiropractic is one of the UK’s top clinics.

2016/17 has been a year of significant progress for the clinic on all fronts:  Staff numbers are at their highest ever; two prestigious national accreditations have been gained; investment and diversification has been high; medical research has been published; and it has played its part in supporting Plymouth Raiders to the BBL Trophy Final!

Owned by the Whittingham family, now on its 3rd generation of chiropractors, the clinic has made a significant contribution to the lives of 4 generations consisting of over 950,000 patients aged newborn to 95 years old, whilst donating over £100,000 to local charity causes.

Ever since Canadian chiropractor Kenn Whittingham and his German wife Elisabeth decided that Plymouth was a great place to raise their 3 children Wayne, Bruce and Yvonne and start a business, the chiropractic genes have remained firmly rooted in Plymouth whilst extending around the world.  The late Kenn Whittingham’s famous career advice to his children “You can do whatever you want in life as long as you are a chiropractor!”, clearly lives on with Wayne leading Plymouth Chiropractic whilst Bruce and Yvonne are practising in Australia and Sweden.

Grandchildren Bonnie and Ariana are studying the profession in Melbourne, Mikaela in Bournemouth, and Isaac has been appointed to begin his career with Plymouth Chiropractic next year. The clinic is managed by Wayne’s wife Tracey with her sister Vicki working as a receptionist. The clinic is a family business in more than just name. A family ethos is shared by all staff and patients which explains why staff loyalty and retention is high.  Staff numbers are now at a record high 16.

This year, it is the only clinic in Devon & Cornwall to be awarded the Clinical Management Quality Mark (CMQM) from the Royal College of Chiropractors which recognises excellence in patient satisfaction, outcome measurement and risk management. The award sits alongside the Patient Partnership Quality Mark (PPQM) also gained by the clinic for patient education and communication. These are the latest in a string of national awards for the clinic, the highlight being Dr Wayne Whittingham’s ‘UK Chiropractor of the Year’ Award in 2012.

Improving patient wellness is at the centre of all decision making at the clinic and over the past year it has diversified its range of services by welcoming a counsellor, kinesiology, psychotherapist, sports massage, hypnotherapy and a nutrition expert to support that aim.  It has also continued to invest in state of the art x-ray equipment and patient management systems.

Charitable giving is also a key part of the clinic’s family ethos. It recently raised over £700 for a Down’s Syndrome appeal from its popular annual patient’s’ kids Christmas Party and Easter Egg Hunt.  Staff are invited to choose charities each year and many have picked causes that have directly affected their families including breast cancer, bowel cancer, St Luke’s Hospice and Jeremiah’s Journey.

As a beacon for the highest standards in the profession, Dr Wayne Whittingham has had two research papers on cervicogenic dizziness with Professor Gary Shum of Plymouth University in peer review journals.  Trials have found that upper cervical spine adjustment can lead to 10% improved blood flow to the brain which improves conditions such as headaches and dizziness. Both the clinic and Plymouth University is applying for more grants for further research. In addition to this work, the clinic is one of only a few in the UK to obtain Research Status from the Royal College of Chiropractors which feed into a national database for improvements.

The clinic is a very active member of the local business community.  As a member of the Devon Chamber of Commerce, it is dedicated to contributing towards reduced absence and improved productivity for local employers clients that include Plymouth City Bus, Lang Town & Country, Ashfords, Algram, Princess Yachts, Michael Spiers, Balance for Business and Fuel.  In addition, as a former nurse, Tracey Whittingham offers special discounts for local NHS staff.

It has been a very successful year and we hope that it continues with success for Plymouth Raiders’ in the BBL cup final.