Free Clinic History
I ran a free clinic for under 16s during school term time from 2010 to 2016.
Of the children attending, most were pre-school age for obvious reasons, with the majority being infants under six months.
I have been delighted to be able to provide hundreds of free appointments over the years. Many of the users have donated to local, national and international charities in lieu of payment. This has raised funds for many good causes, including Manchester Young Lives, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, HOPEHIV and HOPE24.
Why?
Originally, I started the clinic to cater for people who previously used the Osteopathic Centre for Children in Ancoats. The OCC, ran until 2010 but became unable to continue due to lack of funding and I wanted to plug the gap.
I believe that cost should not be a barrier to appropriate treatment and want to be able to provide high quality care for anybody in any situation.
2016
I noticed a dramatic reduction in attendance at the free clinic in the academic year 2015/2016. Most weeks, nobody came and over the whole 12 months, I felt my time could be better used.
After a lot of soul searching, thought and prayer, I changed the way I operated things to continue to cater for people in financial need.
I will not be offering the free clinic at The Bethel for the moment. Instead, I can now offer two options at my other clinics.
- Pay what you can, when you can (even if that is sometimes nothing)
- Donate to charity
You will need to clear one of these options with me before a booking is made. I can then make a note on the file and keep it confidential. If you would like to use any of these special options, please email, tweet, Instagram or send a Facebook message first.
The offer is still limited to under 16s, but if you are struggling to cover costs, something can be done. Please discuss fees with me at your first appointment so we can make a suitable arrangement.
“An open hand that gives also receives. Recession or not, you can’t beat God giving, no matter how you try.”
Dr Valerie Elverton Dixon
