Home Visits: The importance of bringing people together

'You'll be surprised what you can learn about what interests you.' 

I’ve been with Specsavers for about 20 years now, after starting off working Saturdays while I was at university. I graduated with an optical management degree which allowed me to knuckle down and focus on the mechanics of what happens behind the scenes. I then started looking at doing something a bit more complex and clinical, going from being a contact lens optician to eventually a managerial role. This is when I started to get into leading a team and providing as much eye and hear care as I could. Now, I’m one of the directors for Specsavers home visits.

The history of domiciliary

It came to a point where Specsavers wanted to make sure we were able to see the customers that couldn’t get into store anymore. So, 10 years ago, I got into domiciliary and home visits, which was brand new at the time. Specsavers home visits are opposite to working in store as we travel to peoples’ homes, and the patients we see are different by nature. These are people unable to get into store, possibly less mobile or not in the same mental space they used to be. Alongside my domiciliary role, I also wanted to become a director so I could lead my team even further and make sure I could really look after our most vulnerable customers.

Taking care directly to the people

The patients we see now might not have seen a face in weeks or months, and you can be the one providing eye and hear care in their homes to ensure they have the highest quality of life possible. Taking on this role was a great step for me to be able to still be in optics, but also provide some type of value to the community. It really puts everything into perspective and I’m grateful I have the chance to give back someone’s smile. It can really be a lifeline for these people.

Showing care through D&I

As well as my domiciliary and home visit work, I’m part of the Committee of the Embrace Network, which is one of Specsavers’ diversity and inclusion networks. Embrace focuses on people who are connected to an ethnic background or are an ally to ethnic backgrounds, it gives us the platform where we can ask the right questions to provide the right solutions. You want to make sure, as an employer, that you’re offering a space where people can feel comfortable to be their true selves. It’s important for both our staff, and the patients we see and homes we enter, as everyone has some type of tradition, culture or religion.

The importance of bringing people together

I, myself, am mixed race – half Irish, half Jamaican – so it’s really important to me to prioritise D&I. Even though I now feel like I’m part of both the Black and Irish communities, I believe I understand what some people experience when they don’t feel they’re part of a community or don’t feel represented. Thankfully, in Specsavers there is representation and you do feel comfortable here. We have our diversity and inclusion networks for a reason, so if you don’t feel safe, if you don’t feel represented, there are people on the committee who act as a mentor to help you. And this isn’t just with the Embrace network, this is across all of the other D&I networks we have set up too.

Continuing to grow

There’s always room for improvement but we’ve come a long way and I’m confident that there’s plenty of opportunities with Specsavers. I’m comfortable where I am. I feel like I’ve gone from strength to strength and now there’s even more to achieve, so it’s onwards and upwards