IN AN EFFORT to provide accessible eye care within the local community, Specsavers Richmond held an out-of-hours clinic for people experiencing homelessness in the borough.
The locally owned and run store, located at The Quadrant, offered free eye tests and glasses after business hours to create a comfortable and quieter environment where people experiencing homelessness could speak to a healthcare professional.
As part of a nationwide campaign for World Homeless Day, which took place on 10 October, more than 100 Specsavers stores and Home Visits businesses held out-of-hours or pop-up clinics and invited people affected by any form of homelessness to make use of their services.
In partnership with SPEAR, the clinic held at the Specsavers Richmond upon Thames store welcomed six members of the local community, who received prescription glasses for reading, distance and multifocal, with a total of six glasses being dispensed. Those who popped into the store were offered a sight test, OCT scan and glasses.
This clinic was part of Specsavers’ wider homelessness programme to mark World Homeless Day by continuing to improve access to eye and ear care for people experiencing homelessness or facing other barriers to care – whether financial, residential or not being eligible for NHS support.
Lee Penfold, retail director at Specsavers Richmond upon Thames, says: ‘To mark World Homeless Day, we were pleased to host our first out-of-hours clinic to offer our services to people experiencing homelessness.
‘I am incredibly proud of the team, and to SPEAR, 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.
‘Specsavers as a business, and as a local team within the Richmond community, is committed to making healthcare accessible to everyone. I really hope that this helps raise awareness of the issue and the current barriers people are facing.’
Dean Ruske, Health Link Manager, SPEAR says: ‘We are delighted that the team at Specsavers Richmond are offering free sight tests and glasses to our clients. We really appreciate this support, which will make a positive difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness. It’s great to see local partners helping remove barriers to access.’
As well as running eye and ear care clinics across stores outside of World Homeless Day, Specsavers also collaborates with Crisis, Vision Care, Big Issue and other homelessness services to create long-term solutions to remove healthcare barriers.
Specsavers is also 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 people affected have access to free ear checks, eye tests and glasses, and replacement glasses if broken, lost or stolen.
To find out more, visit specsavers.co.uk/news-and-information/community/homelessness or contact the Specsavers Richmond upon Thames store on 020 8439 9330 or book an appointment online https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/richmond
