Dynamic mother and daughter team who have made inclusivity a guiding principle of fertility

In a world where women continue to break barriers, the story of the Agora Clinic is one that truly exemplifies the essence of empowerment, resilience and inclusivity. At the heart of this narrative lies the dynamic mother and daughter duo of Carole Gilling-Smith and Michele Gilling-Ulph

Carole Gilling-Smith, Founder, CEO and Medical Director of the Agora Clinic

As a newly qualified Doctor 40 years ago, I could think of no better career than one spent dedicated to our National Health Service. I believed passionately in there being no barriers to accessing excellent health care, least of all financial.  20 years later, I was in my dream role as a Consultant Gynaecologist, leading an IVF service in a busy London teaching hospital.

I had set up the first UK service for those living with HIV to have children safely and was leading a large clinical research team, passionate about delivering equitable healthcare and breaking down barriers. However, I was trapped in a broken health care system and witnessing the decline and fall of our beloved NHS.

I had so many ideas that I wanted to implement that I knew would improve the care our patients received, but red tape blocked me from making those changes. Middle management was mushrooming out of nowhere, so focused on delivering on targets, they had forgotten the existence of both patients and their own workforce. The final straw for me came in 2004, returning to full time work after maternity leave following the birth of my third child. I was marginalised to a lesser role, no longer allowed to lead, but still expected to work the long hours. Déjà vu, as I had experienced a similar situation after my second child.

That was the catalyst that fuelled a huge leap of faith and why in 2007, during a global recession, and with three young children to raise, I left my secure NHS post to set up the Agora Fertility Clinic in Brighton. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do and more importantly I knew I had the balls to do it! I also promised myself I would never work for anyone else again and would move mountains to ensure my staff would never experience what I had been through after having my children. I would enable them to feel empowered to reach their potential and career goals, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, health, or ethnicity. Not only would we help others to have families, but we would also ensure we always looked after our own.

Over the last 17 years, the Agora has grown to become the largest fertility centre in Sussex, with an exemplary record for fostering a culture of empowerment and inclusivity and always delivering the best for its staff and its patients. I feel that much of the dream I had as a young doctor has been fulfilled as across our three clinics in Brighton, Eastbourne, and Worthing, 70% of our patients enjoy fully funded NHS fertility care, delivered with no waiting time, the highest success rates in London and the South-East and exceptional patient support every step of the way. We have also become national and international leaders in the delivery of inclusive fertility care, standing as a beacon of inspiration to so many in the realm of fertility clinics.

My father warmly advised my husband before we got married that I had been a very single minded and obstinate child, never letting things stand in my way. I openly admit that was true and I do also have a habit of challenging conventional thinking. At 16 I was one of only a handful of girls to break with tradition by attending my older brother’s all-male school and followed this by being one of the first few girls to study medicine at Trinity College, Cambridge. During my specialist training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (the care of women’s sexual and reproductive health) I was repeatedly advised that less than 10% of women became consultants as, apparently, ‘we have babies’ which it seems is our downfall and barrier to surviving in surgical specialties. It did strike me as an odd reason for career failure as having children does make us rather good at understanding the whole fertility and childbirth thing! I have never viewed my gender as an obstacle, just an excuse to rise to any challenge with the same energy and passion as my male counterparts, with the added benefit of greater stamina which is one advantage our gender confers on us.

Never in my wildest dreams as a medical student did I imagine I would become the only female founder, sole owner and CEO of a large IVF centre in the UK. That happened as a by-product of trying to achieve my vision of a better healthcare system. I don’t care much for the politicians, but I just wish one of them would come down to visit the Agora to learn about how things should be done if they want to mend our broken healthcare system. What they would see is a meticulously organised and highly efficient model of care, making the best use of limited NHS financial resources and one in which both strong leadership and high EQ are key.

They would observe empowered, happy staff living our values of wisdom, honesty and compassion every day of their lives and the impact that positive culture has on patient care and staff wellbeing. What they wouldn’t find is ‘middle management’ eating up precious financial resources, just highly skilled and well trained medical, nursing, scientific, administrative and financial teams that enjoy networking together on a daily basis using a quality management system to define, implement, measure and improve every aspect of the care they deliver. They would drop in on a large family, where inclusivity is the norm and everyone commits to serve each other as well as our patients. They would see an independent healthcare provider that can ethically deliver private and NHS services seamlessly side by side, with no difference in patient experience.

I often refer to the Agora as my ‘4th baby’ and watching her grow has also been a huge part of my family’s life so I could not have been more delighted when my ‘first baby’, Michele, chose to join our team 6 years ago after graduating from university. She now works tirelessly as our Director of Operations, with unwavering dedication to our cause, and a passion for always delivering the best for our staff and patients. We couldn’t be more aligned in our vision!

Together we are conceiving and delivering a better future, filled with possibilities, for all those to come to us for help to have a family, as well as for those who join our Agora family.

For more information on the Agora please visit www.agoraclinic.co.uk