From school leaver to Home Visits Director: Danielle's story

From school leaver to Home Visits Director: A career built on care, growth, and support 

When Danielle left school in 2005, she wasn’t entirely sure what her future would look like - but she knew she wanted to help people. That’s what led her straight to Specsavers. What started as an apprenticeship in admin quickly became a career, and over the years, she discovered a passion for audiology that would shape her life. 

My journey from optics to audiology 

“I spent almost 20 years working between a few Specsavers stores, where I started out as an admin apprentice. Once I completed my apprenticeship I experienced many different roles in optics – clinical assistant, clinical supervisor, I even explored the world of contact lenses. But audiology really fascinated me – so after a while, I made the move and qualified to be a Hearing Care Assistant (HCA). I absolutely loved audiology, so much so that I wanted to continue in a managerial path to become a manager. I was grateful to be supported to complete an ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) course to gain a vocational qualification that’s designed to help me develop practical leadership and management skills. 

I’d set my sights on doing the pathway to partnership but at the time this wasn’t available for someone in audiology unless they were a qualified Hearing Aid Dispenser (HAD). I didn’t want to go down the HAD route as I was more interested in the management and organisation of the audiology function. My determination to be a partner got the better of me, so I decided to move back into optics and qualified in dispensing. That’s when something exciting happened. 

I found myself on the right path 

An opportunity came about for a Customer Service Partner in Audiology Home Visits. You know when you look at a job description and you feel it’s written especially for you? That’s how I felt – I knew I had to go for it. It all happened so quickly! I had conversations with the relevant people and, with the immense support from my directors at Killingworth, I found myself straight onto pathway! I must admit, I wasn’t 100% sold on the thought of working in the home-visits team as I didn’t know what to expect. Now, I can’t imagine working in a store again.   

The domiciliary dream! 

I absolutely love working in the home visits team. Somehow it feels even more rewarding than working in-store. I feel the patients are especially grateful for the support they get from us, as we might be the only people they see that day. And if we’re helping them to hear more clearly, they can enjoy their home comforts even more; the phone calls with the family, their favourite TV show, the radio or maybe the sound of the birds chirping in the garden. I also love driving around, especially in the nice weather. In home visits, I have the luxury of being able to work my diary so that I can miss the rush hour journey, as I can’t be productive when I’m stuck in traffic can I!  

Partnership with the Audiology Director 

I work in tandem with the Audiology Director where we work with both NHS and private patients. On the days we’re attending to NHS patients, we call them piggyback days – he tests, I fit! We attend the appointments together, but after the test is done, he will travel to the next patient while I do the first fitting. That way, when I arrive to the next appointment, the test is almost done. It’s a really efficient way of working to make sure we provide a great service to our patients. On days where we’re attending to private patients, the Audiology Director will attend these alone which allows me time to focus on everything else – scheduling, diary management, marketing, payroll, managing/organising deliveries, making follow-up calls and other tasks to make things run smoothly or efficiently. I love organising, so I enjoy being more ‘behind the scenes’ getting everything prepared. This works really well because he can carry out testing efficiently and doesn’t need to waste any time going back and forth for what he needs! We’re a real team – while the tests are crucial, my role to contact GPs and care homes to get the referrals are essential as we wouldn’t have patients to test! Together, we are a great team and we are never alone in day-to-day challenge. I keep the business moving behind the scenes and he focuses on what matters most: our patients.”  

Work-life balance is incredible 

This has improved so much since working in the home visits team. I can work from home some days to get stuff done which is incredibly valuable especially when there is scheduling and admin work to do. I get the chance to do the school drop off on some days and am always finished at a reasonable time to have dinner with my family and spend some quality time with them. Sometimes I get to pick my son up from school, too, so the flexibility and freedom to manage my own diary makes being a Mum so much easier.  

My advice to audiologists 

Being able to have the work-life balance you desire while doing the things you love is the best feeling. You feel you really make a difference to people’s lives who genuinely need our help – this gives me such pride in my role. When you become a partner, you get to meet so many new people. The support, advice, guidance, and coaching you get is second-to-none. The home visits team are like a family – we’re all in it together! You’re never thrown in at the deep end – you learn as you go, as you don’t know how to do something until you do it. Every day is different, and I love the variety, but by far the ability to manage my diary to fit around my life is one of the best bits. I have an amazing job doing the work I’ve always wanted to do!” 

Today, Danielle’s not just an audiologist. She’s a partner, a leader, and a role model for audiologists who need a bit of courage to take the next step in their career.