ROSANNE JOSEPH-ANTHONY is the founder, clinical director and leading aesthetic nurse practitioner at Healthium Clinics in Henley.
 

The treatment centre is based at Badgemore Park and offers bespoke medical procedures for men and women that contribute to overall health and wellbeing.
 

Rosanne, 57, who trained as a registered general nurse at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, wants to provide services where there are gaps within the NHS.
 

She says: “I’m passionate about healthcare and, although I’m an entrepreneur, I also want to give back. I have always strived to look to support the local community where I live, by providing affordable healthcare in areas which the NHS is not able to support. I believe that if one feels good in themselves, then they would feel better as a person. Hence, having affordable private care on one’s doorstep will help keep our community happy and healthy.”
 

Rosanne grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after her family moved there from southern India in the Forties. She moved to the UK aged 18 and has stayed ever since. She has two siblings, an older sister, who is an economist with the Malaysian Central Bank, and her younger sister is a doctor.
 

She says: “I had a very happy childhood and spent many days at my grandmother’s house. My grandmother influenced me greatly and she was a strong woman in what used to be very much a man’s world. Perhaps I got my drive and ambition from her.
 

“I went to a convent school and there was a very strict discipline. In those days, you would get the cane if you stepped out of line or spoke out of turn. We learnt English and had to speak very properly.
 

“After school, I came to the UK to study a nursing degree at the Royal Berks. While working as a trainee nurse, I topped up my pay by having two other jobs — one working at Burger King and the other doing home caring visits. In those days, I used to cycle between jobs and worked 12 hours a day, six days a week.”
 

When Rosanne worked for the NHS she supported a major national clinical audit and was then head-hunted into industry.
 

She says: “I went on to have various roles in marketing and medical device and pharmaceutical development, education and strategy implementations at bringing medical innovations to the NHS and other international markets.
 

“I found Henley when I came to study and then work at the Royal Berks and I’ve been in the area for more than 30 years. While my career in life sciences took me around the world I always loved coming home after my business trips to this tranquil place.”
 

Rosanne is married to an accountant and they have two grown-up children who attended Gillotts School and Shiplake College and rowed at Upper Thames Rowing Club. She started her first clinic more than 15 years ago, working from home and now has four businesses operating within the medical and IT fields with offices in the UK and abroad.
 

Healthium is part of the portfolio and is a fully accredited clinic, offering a range of treatments for people of all ages. 
 

Rosanne says: “We offer a range of services, some of which I do myself, but we also have qualified therapists who offer beauty and aesthetic treatments.
 

“We also have GPs, nurses, a clinical pharmacist and visiting consultants who visit to provide specialised treatments on set days, including varicose veins, sports medicine, lymphoedema for cancer and non-cancer patients, dermatology and much more.
 

“The range of services is always expanding but includes aesthetics, dermatology, skin lesions – lumps and bumps, electrosurgery, non-invasive surgery, GP service, health screening, diagnostics, referrals, weight management, sports and joint medicine, vascular disease – varicose veins, women’s and men’s health, head to toe spa treatments.
 

“We want to offer an affordable service that supports our patients without having to worry that they may have to wait ages for an appointment or not afford regular visits to seek advice when needed.”

Healthium is a partner of South Oxfordshire District Council, Henley Rugby Club and also counts rowers at Leander Club among its clients.
 

Rosanne says she and her team are always looking to stay ahead of the game. “We have recently come back from Malta to attend a medical innovations conference”.

“We’re always on the lookout for the latest technology, which we think offer effective treatments. In the clinic we utilise our own clinical IT patient management system and as we have an office here, this is then where our team in Malta work on developing the medical platform.”

 

Indeed, while some of the services offered at the clinic could be offered by a beautician, Healthium is very different.

 

Rosanne says: “We are a CQC-registered medical clinic and all the treatments we offer are done by trained medical staff, using approved pharmaceutical products in a clinical setting. Injectables like botulinum toxin, used as an anti-wrinkle treatment, and dermal fillers or skin boosters are examples of a treatment that is not currently regulated and can be provided by unlicensed outlets.

 

“The key differences between a medical professional and a beautician offering Botox and dermal fillers or any other injectable treatments primarily revolve around training, qualifications, and scope of practice,

 

“We, as medical professions, are regulated by medical boards and must adhere to strict standards of practice, including hygiene, patient safety, and ethical considerations. Beauticians may be subject to different regulations and regulatory bodies. Their training may not include the same level of medical oversight.

 

“We conduct thorough assessments, considering a patient’s medical history, skin type, psychological and social concerns and possible contraindications for treatments. As medics, we would say no to certain procedures by educating our patients with good advice and explanations that show reasons why certain treatments would not work for them.

 

“At Healthium we also have diagnostic tools to help us in this area and to assess the complication thoroughly for example with an ultrasound device. We also in some cases use ultrasound to guide our injection points for the best outcome for our patients.

 

She added: “I’m not quite 60 but I very much agree that we should all aim to be the ‘best’ version of ourselves throughout our lives. My aim is to guide people towards the best treatment plans to maintain inner health and to look great, whatever their age.”