HealthHubble is a new online resource for the UK wellness industry which aims to connect users with a variety of providers. In this guest post, its founder Dr Jacqualine Seckley explains its beginnings
Now, more than ever, people need healthcare and wellness services at their fingertips. HealthHubble went live early, before its official launch date, in response to the Coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent need for healthcare and wellness services from the safety of our homes.
HealthHubble had been my vision for almost ten years and it is different to all other search engines. Users can either search by geographical location, medical specialism, or they can simply type their problem into the search box.
For example, users can type “back pain”, and HealthHubble will give several suggestions to consider, including physiotherapists, chiropractors, or a relevant expert article; all to help relieve and improve the their symptoms.
In the coming months HealthHubble will continue to evolve, enabling users to benefit from their well-researched articles and check out reviews
I genuinely believe that with HealthHubble we can help others, expand our own knowledge, and help ourselves with our own health and wellness journeys. We aim to inform and inspire people to live healthier lives.
Users are empowered to find and communicate with providers of healthcare services near to where they live or work or to link them to virtual, video, telephone or mobile app services and consultations throughout the UK.
In the coming months HealthHubble will continue to evolve, enabling users to benefit from their well-researched articles and check out reviews. The article section is set to become a valuable online resource, currently with 54 articles written by experts from a range of health and wellness specialities, including dentistry, physiotherapy, osteopathy, psychologists, and NHS doctors.
Starting up
We launched HealthHubble at a time when many businesses were struggling, though I knew it was the right thing to do at the right time.
I have worked as an NHS frontline doctor in the emergency department for many years. During this time I have become accustomed to making instantaneous assessments of situations, followed by rapid decisions and implementing plans.
Consequently, it was relatively easy to make the decision to bring forward the launch of HealthHubble by several months. I approached my digital team with the plan, and we managed to launch the website within two weeks.
There were several months of development left, nonetheless, the team worked extremely hard to launch a stripped-backed website. The benefit was that we were able to focus on absolute fundamental user requirements which I believe will prove dividends for the future.
So, whilst it is always a little scary launching a start-up, I was extremely excited to see the business moving forward at pace. Ultimately, I know that it was the best way HealthHubble could help people during the lockdown.
There are significant challenges to starting a business from home during 2020. It has been really important to structure the day well and ensure I was still available to my two girls. Home schooling was a challenge for most people. Like so many parents, I have an acute appreciation of my children’s teachers and school.
I have learned how important it is to have a clear vision based on aspirations and solid core beliefs
I have always wanted HealthHubble to be an agile business fit for the modern world, which includes developing a team that can work flexibly and remotely. The pros and cons of this had always been considered, but we were yet to test the strategy.
Being plunged into lockdown has shown us that by harnessing technology, supporting everyone in the team with the right tools, having frequent team meetings and most importantly having regular wellness chats with everyone, we can create a strong and effective team.
On a personal level I have learned how important it is to have a clear vision based on aspirations and solid core beliefs. Our values put the benefit to our website users at the forefront of our purpose. Everything else we do flows from this, but will also provide significant benefit to the clinics that are listed with us.
One implication of this benefit value is that we individually check every business that is listed with HealthHubble. We also welcome reviews of clinics and therapists. HealthHubble understands that we all value the feedback of others who have already had experience of a particular service.
HeathHubble will continue to expand, providing our website visitors with a plethora of healthcare and wellness services that they can search and find. As we add thousands more clinics, articles and services our aim is that HealthHubble will ultimately become the UK’s most comprehensive resource whilst helping even more people source a wider range of solutions for their health concerns.
More on HealthHubble here
