In The Company Of Alastair Mace, consultant ENT surgeon at The Hearing Suite in Harrogate

1. In a nutshell, what does your company do and how did it start?

We provide a comprehensive high-quality service to help people with concerns about their hearing and any ear-related symptoms.

Combining the expertise of an experienced team of audiologists and an ear specialist surgeon, we make sure everyone has access to the best hearing aids, diagnostics and treatments for any ear problems.

The most common presenting problems are hearing loss, wax blockage, infections with pain or discharge, tinnitus and dizziness.

The Hearing Suite founder and director of audiology is Emily Woodmansey. I made contact with her soon after opening the practice in Harrogate in 2018 and we quickly realised how well we could work together to provide the best care for people in Harrogate and surrounding areas.

2. What's the most surprising thing about it?

Despite being based in Harrogate, it is clear people are prepared to travel great distances to receive a high-quality service and people travel right across the North of England to come to the Hearing Suite. This is gratifying and we are very appreciative.

3. What do you do in the business?

I am an ENT consultant surgeon with a specialist clinical interest in ear disease, hearing loss and dizziness.

I provide a service to make sure anyone who presents at the Hearing Suite who needs medical or surgical care is looked after well and promptly.

4. How did you end up here?

My training in ENT was based in the West of Scotland.

At the end of my training, I was awarded the Royal Society of Medicine Otology Training Scholarship and was a Clinical Fellow in Otology and Neurotology at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney.

In 2010 I was appointed ENT consultant in York Teaching Hospital and Harrogate District Hospital. Settling in North Yorkshire has been fantastic.

5. If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

Living in the Alps, enjoying the fresh air, beautiful mountains and all year-round sports.

6. What motivates you?

Trying to make people well and happy to the best of my ability.

We receive excellent feedback at The Hearing Suite, but a successful business does not rest on its laurels.

7. What one thing do you wish you had known when you started out in business?

Just how rewarding it can be to work with an excellent team. You cannot replace experience.

8. What excites you about business?

The biggest excitement comes from the fact every day, week, month and year is different.

Flexibility is required to grow a business with high-quality service always being at the forefront.

Introducing new services is exciting and rewarding, and the latest service available at The Hearing Suite is lip-reading classes.

9. What is your pet hate in business?

I’m not a fan of the word hate, but unnecessary administration and bureaucracy is definitely frustrating!

10. What advice would you give to people just starting their careers?

Having developed a passion for the work, go with it and, for the rest of your career, constantly strive to get more and more experience and your abilities will get better and better.

Always strive to keep a balance in your life between work, hobbies, and home life and this will help to help maintain a healthy body and mind.

11. Who in business do you most admire, and why?

I admire Phil Knight, who created NIKE, for his sheer passion and unrelenting determination. His memoir, Shoe Dog, is a good read.

12. What moments of your career so far stand out?

Being appointed consultant ENT surgeon in 2010 was definitely a milestone, not least because it had taken 19 years since starting medical school.

More recently, I’ll always remember making an initial phone call to Emily to talk about audiological services. This led to some meetings and the start of a successful journey at The Hearing Suite.

13. What sets your company apart from the competition?

The Hearing Suite is an independent practice, and it stands out in terms of its ability to provide a range of high-quality hearing and ear-related services.

It offers a holistic approach to the management of hearing and ear-related problems.

14. What is the most difficult challenge your company has faced? And what challenges are you experiencing at the moment?

Not surprisingly the Covid pandemic period has been the biggest challenge so far. Dealing with the unknown is always difficult.

Aside from Covid-related illnesses, other health issues did not go away, but managing them required a new approach to prioritisation, which was not easy for anyone.

The challenge is now making sure the high-quality service at The Hearing Suite is always maintained, as we move towards bringing the services to a wider population.

15. Have you got a five-year plan for the company?

We want to be able to provide the services of The Hearing Suite to more people. There are currently branches in Harrogate, Ilkley and Wykeham near Scarborough.

There is a geographical gap between these branches and so we’d like to address this. Watch this space.

16. Why is it good to do business in Harrogate?

Harrogate excels in having a friendly and supportive relationship amongst business owners.

Factfile

Name: Alastair Mace.

Age: 51.

Birthplace: Newcastle.

Job title: Consultant ENT surgeon.

Company name: The Hearing Suite.

Company address: Highfield House, 52 East Parade, Harrogate, HG1 5LT.

Company founded: 2018.

Number of staff: 9.