The Norfolk Business Awards are all about celebrating success – and the Scale-up Business of the Year award, sponsored by Archant, highlights exceptional growth. The 2021 winner was Norwich-based online medical firm e-Surgery.
It’s fair to say that e-Surgery is a well-founded firm, having picked up the prestigious SME of the Year award in the 2020 business awards – when co-founder and CEO Dr Thuria Wenbar pledged to return, saying “We have big plans for 2021... we have no intention of slowing down and we aim to make e-Surgery a household name.”
Their success as Scale-up Business of the Year suggests they’re well on the way. “We have a clear mission – we’re changing lives with accessible healthcare,” Dr Wenbar explains. “Our digital system allows patients to choose how they want to manage their health, alongside our brilliant NHS services.
“The opportunity to choose is something that people have really valued since even before the pandemic. Our e-Pharmacy API platform pools together our efforts, the efforts of NHS pharmacies and third-party brands to support as many patients as possible. We’re always looking to work alongside other businesses.”
While the coronavirus has posed problems for every business, it also brought a definite silver lining for e-Surgery: “The pandemic helped speed up the adoption of digital health technologies, as home delivery became less of a luxury and more of a necessity,” Dr Wenbar admits. “The entire healthcare landscape quickly changed, and a drastically new way of thinking about minor health issues and prescription treatments was needed to bridge the gap between patients and GPs.
"Our service works alongside the NHS, reducing the number of patients who attend A&E for minor health issues. We’re proud to be able to help! We’re especially proud of all the partner businesses joining us on this mission. A brand that sells cosmetics can now offer prescription treatments for acne, eczema and psoriasis. A mobile app that supports women with menopause can now also offer safe and effective treatment via our platform.”
The challenge for e-Surgery was a lack of public awareness that online medical services were available. “Patients were only finding us when they reached a desperation point,” says Dr Wenbar. “To combat this, we have partnered with third-party brands to increase the awareness here in the UK and then globally.”
The company continues to have ambitious plans for further growth, seeking to expand its partner base and explore opportunities in new industries to allow third-party businesses to offer prescription medication alongside their existing products. “This includes adult toy companies, skincare brands, mobile apps,” Dr Wenbar says. "And NHS pharmacy partnerships to provide patients with same-day and local collections. From here we will start to expand internationally.”
The judges noted, "We were most impressed by the scaleability of e-Surgery’s business model and the opportunities afforded to it by the large market in which it operates. It is an innovative, agile and sustainable business that is ideally placed to rapidly expand and take on new opportunities. Digital health services are in demand and there does not appear to be any let-up in the number of people wanting to see their clinician or buy their prescription online.”
It has been a real journey for Dr Wenbar, who founded the company in 2018 with her husband Oskar. “I have loved every moment of this business – from the days when it was just three people to running a team across three continents," she says. “I’m incredibly excited for what the future holds. My role has changed a lot as the company has expanded – I have learned to be the facilitator for those around me. I simply need to remove the things that block their path to success.
“The whole team is ecstatic to have won Scale-up Business of the Year," she says. “Many people don’t know there is a safe and affordable option to access prescription medication online for minor health issues, without having to see your regular GP. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to share awareness of our innovative online healthcare service.”
For more information, see www.e-surgery.com
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