About Nicola
I became interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine when I started having acupuncture in conjunction with fertility treatment and then during IVF. I became really interested in how acupuncture could work alongside Western medicine to provide the best of both worlds.
Prior to becoming an acupuncturist I worked for in the field of Pathology, gaining an MSc in Haematology. During this time I also worked for Johnson & Johnson providing training, sales and support for blood transfusion laboratories in the UK and throughout Europe.
Whilst studying to become an Acupuncturist I became aware that in many cases, people who may benefit from acupuncture treatment were not able to afford it. I wished to find a way of enabling as many people as possible to have acupuncture based on need rather than ability to pay. To achieve this, myself and a colleague set up a social enterprise called “Access to Acupuncture” (www.accesstoacupuncture.co.uk) that obtains charitable or government funding for a range of projects providing acupuncture free to patients at the point of care.
In addition to clinics in Thirsk and Bedale, I practise acupuncture at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust working with children and young adults with cancer, and also teach practical acupuncture skills to students at the Northern College of Acupuncture in York. I am involved in on-going research projects to increase the understanding of how acupuncture can be of benefit, and undertake regular CPD.