First-class eyecare was delivered at a free clinic for Plymouth people experiencing homelessness ahead of Christmas.
Leading professionals from the Specsavers Home Visits teamvolunteered their time and expertise in partnership with Vision Care, a charity set up to provide eyecare services to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The community-conscious opticians based themselves at the Shekinah Centre in Kings Road to offer free eye tests, glasses and support.
Cheryl Fletcher, Customer Service Director at the Specsavers Plymouth Home Visits team, says: ‘We were pleased to host our first clinic to offer our services to people experiencing homelessness.
‘I am incredibly proud of the team and to Vision Care who helped make this possible. It is our long-term aim to ensure that everyone can access free, appropriate eye and hearing care which ultimately will help improve quality of life.
‘It was a really successful day and very humbling to be part of it. Our team have been blown away by theexperience, and there’s already commitment from teamto volunteer their time again in future.
‘As a local team within the Plymouth community, we arecommitted to making healthcare accessible to everyone, so I really hope that this clinic helped to raise awareness of homelessness and the current barriers people are facing.
‘The stories we heard during the clinic have particularly struck a chord with all of our team, showing that today has really changed lives.’
The clinic was part of Specsavers’ awareness-raising about homelessness, with the company calling for changes to government policy to remove unnecessary barriers that make it difficult for people experiencing homelessness to access the eye and ear care they need.
Long–term plans include influencing policy and systems so that people affected have access to free ear checks, eye tests and glasses, and replacement glasses if broken, lost or stolen.
Stephen Pratt, the Static Clinics Manager at Vision Care, says: ‘It was great to have staff from the Home Visits team join us to test and dispense, meaning we could run an extended clinic session.
‘The people who came in to see us simply aren’t getting the sort of help that the rest of us are getting.
‘We had one person who came in and needed glasses for distance and for reading. It was a really complicatedprescription and they would’ve struggled without it. The fact that the clinic could provide that help, free of charge, is excellent.
‘It was great for the opticians to work together to reach more people experiencing homelessness, and we are delighted that the Specsavers team are planning further volunteering with us.
‘I’d like to say a particular thank you to optometrist Stephen Lewis and optical assistant Jade Krotke who did an outstanding job, especially as it was Jade’s first day at the Shekinah Centre.’
The Specsavers Home Visits service provides eye tests and new glasses prescriptions, as well as audiology assistance,Monday to Friday.
For further information or to request a home visits appointment for hearing or vision, call 01752 423211.
You can join us on our social media pages, follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads where you can keep up to date with whats going on in South Devon.
Got a news story, blog or press release that you’d like to share or want to advertise with us? Get in touch via email admin@wearesouthdevon.com
