Welcome to this edition of Link magazine
There are many significant developments happening across the Trust at the moment, one of which is the launch of our new Electronic Patient Record in October. We want this to bring real benefits to the way we work and patient care, and an overview of the project and some of the key things you can do to prepare are included in this edition.
We have also launched our PROUD Improvement programme, which aims to embed the ethos of improvement across the Trust and give colleagues at all levels the permission and support to pursue improvement ideas, big or small. Find out more on p8.
There are some wonderful examples of how investments in our facilities and equipment have improved services for our patients. The new Maternity Assessment Centre is providing a better experience for pregnant women, our Elective Orthopaedic Centre has celebrated one year since opening and has now treated more than 2000 patients, and a
new state-of-the-art surgical robot is enabling patients undergoing procedures such as hysterectomies and prostatectomies to have less invasive surgery.
We are continuing to make progress on our commitment to sustainability, and on p7 you can read about how we came together with other Trusts in the city to learn from each other and support each other in this work.
I am also delighted that work is underway to install Horatio’s Garden at our Spinal Injuries Unit. The garden was Best in Show at Chelsea Flower show, and will provide a wonderful therapeutic space for patients and enhance the environment of the site.
I do hope you enjoy reading this edition of Link. Best wishes
Kirsten Major Chief Executive
Maternity Assessment Centre praised by first-time mum
New mum, Becci Amyes has praised her experience at the new Maternity Assessment Centre at Jessop Wing.
Becci, 33, was one of the first mums to access the new facility when she gave birth to baby girl, Sylvie.
Becci said: "I arrived at the centre with my husband, Matt and was quickly taken into an assessment room. We were amazed at how modern and spotlessly clean the assessment centre was when we walked in. It was really calm and quiet and we had no wait at all really until we were assessed and then taken through to a labour suite.
“I had requested a pool birth and was taken through to a room straight away. We couldn't believe how big the pool room was and all of the equipment available. A few hours later Sylvie was born. It was incredibly intense but definitely one of the best days of my life.
“The midwives were really nice, they read through my birth preferences thoroughly and made such a lovely atmosphere. They were always on hand, and completing the regular checks, but also gave us space which allowed my husband to be next to the pool, coaching me and experience it all with me."
The £2.8million purpose-built high-quality
centre is open to assess and care for pregnant women and birthing people, 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
It was officially opened by Chief Midwifery Officer for England, Kate Brintworth, who said: “I’m really pleased to see this investment in maternity services at the Trust to improve care for women, babies and families in the community.”
Sheffield Elective Orthopaedic Centre celebrates one year since opening
Sheffield Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SEOC) has celebrated one year since its opening.
More than 2000 patients have been treated at SEOC at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital since it opened, and the centre has played a key role in enabling patients whose operation was paused during the pandemic to have their procedure as quickly as possible.
The centre delivers elective lower limb arthroplasty, soft tissue knee, shoulder and elbow and foot and ankle surgery in a self-contained unit where patients can be admitted, have their surgery, recover, and be discharged – all from one purpose built area.
Amjid Ali, Clinical Director for the Musculo-
Skeletal Care group, said: “This centre has made a huge difference for patients who are accessing elective orthopaedic care.
"We have an outstanding multi-disciplinary team all passionate and dedicated to providing the
best service. A massive thank you to all members of the team at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Northern General Hospital for their amazing teamwork and helping to make the first year of SEOC a real success story."
Connect EPR – getting ready for go-live
After years of planning and, more recently, building and testing, we are now only a few weeks away from the go-live of our new Connect EPR (Electronic Patient Record) on 14th October 2024.
The programme to implement the Connect EPR represents one of the largest investments by our Trust in 20 years and it will bring many benefits to patient care and staff experience from day one. It will give us a digital record that wraps around the patient throughout their journey with us, as well as better computer equipment and more reliable Wi-Fi. It will also mean changes to how clinical and non-clinical staff complete certain day-today tasks.
The go-live on 14th October will not be the end of the implementation journey, however. Go-live will give us a platform that over time we will build on and develop, unlocking new functionality and standardising more of our processes. All of this will be done in an ongoing partnership with our supplier, Oracle Health, and informed by feedback from our staff and the experience of other Trusts that are implementing the same system. There is a lot more information on our intranet, including a list of which key systems will be replaced by the Connect EPR and which will be retained.
Training programme starts
The first phase of our comprehensive, role-based Connect EPR education and training programme has now kicked off with a series of mandatory familiarisation training packages landing in your PALMS account.
The training showing on your PALMS page when
you log in has been selected based on your role. You can, however, look at the full set of courses if you want to know about other aspects of the system and pathways.
The second phase of training will consist of longer e-learning modules and some classroombased sessions, where needed. You will be told if this applies to you.
You will need to complete the first phase of training before moving on to the second phase, although you can wait and complete them together if you wish. A third phase will see a practice system being made available for you to try out what you have learned. The details for this will be available in September.
Patient who had first roboticassisted hysterectomy praises specialist team
A surgical team at the Trust have successfully carried out the region’s first robotic-assisted hysterectomies for severe endometriosis.
The state-of-theart surgery is set to help hundreds of women suffering with severe endometriosis and other benign yet debilitating gynaecological conditions of the womb.
Katie Titman, 42, the first patient to benefit, said she was able to resume normal activities within a week of having a total hysterectomy (removal of the entire womb and cervix) thanks to the robotic-assisted surgery. This compares to an average recovery time of 6-8 weeks for traditional surgery dependent on the type of hysterectomy undertaken.
The multi-armed robot, which also speeds up the time taken to carry out the operation, has wrist-like instruments that enable the surgical team to perform intricate and delicate manoeuvres, including 360° rotation in tight spaces that surpasses what the human hand can achieve alone. It is controlled by the surgeon, who sits at a console with a magnified, high-definition 3D view of the surgical site.
Katie has lived with “horrendous pain” from endometriosis for most of her life, suffering with stomach pains and longlasting heavy periods.
The robotic-assisted hysterectomy enabled surgeons to remove her entire womb and cervix through five incisions less than 1cm long on her abdomen.
Since the surgery she has been pain free.
She said: “I was up and about, walking around and undertaking normal day-to-day activities within a week of surgery. It’s been much easier than I expected.
Mr Karim Abdallah, Consultant Gynaecologist said: “The successful introduction of this pioneering surgery is a great stride forward in improving the health and wellbeing of women living with benign yet debilitating gynaecological conditions.”
New robot enables more patients to have less invasive prostate surgery
A new surgical robot is enabling even more patients with prostate cancer to benefit from less invasive surgery and shorter recovery time.
Introduced in May at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, the Da Vinci Xi robot expands the range of patients eligible for robotic surgery, involving smaller incisions and quicker recovery times compared to traditional open surgery. Among the first patients to benefit from the new
robot was 71-year-old Trevor Palay from Sheffield who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
Trevor said: “I went in at around 8.30am for the operation and the next thing I knew I was done and in the post-op room. The procedure only took a couple of hours.”
Due to the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, he was able to return home the following day.
Did you know… the first recorded successful Penicillin use was in Sheffield
Dr Cecil Paine was a Sheffield pathologist familiar with the work of Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
In 1930/1931, whilst working at the Sheffield Royal Infirmary, Paine offered to treat patients suffering from resistant infections using Penicillin. He obtained a Penicillin-producing mould from Fleming which he used to treat newborn babies with eye infections. Paine noted that it “worked like a charm”. Years later, the clinical notes from that treatment were discovered, confirming the chronology. Paine had also successfully treated a miner’s infected eye injury with Penicillin… “it cleared up the infection like nobody’s business” Paine said. A subsequent paper* detailing Paine’s work described it as the first successful clinical use of Penicillin in history.
In addition, Professor Sir Howard Florey (later awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945 for his contribution to the purification and preparation of Penicillin for clinical use) had been Professor of Pathology in Sheffield from 1932 to 1935. During that period, Florey met Paine who told him about his successful application of Penicillin. Dr David Winfield, a member of Sheffield Hospitals Group, remembers Dr Paine from the Jessop Hospital when he was a medical student, describing him as a modest man who did not claim any credit for his achievements. Penicillin has, of course, since saved millions of lives.
*Wainwright M. Swan H. CG Paine and the Earliest Surviving Clinical Records of Penicillin Therapy Medical History; 1986, 30: 42–56
LOOP is the new home for Employee Online
Employee Online, which many colleagues use to view and request shifts and leave, is being upgraded to a new system called LOOP.
LOOP is an app that will make it easier to view your roster, book shifts and leave and coordinate with colleagues in your team. It is also accessible via a web login for those that don’t have a smartphone.
LOOP launched in STH in June 2024. Users of Employee Online will need to transition to LOOP by the end of 2024, when Employee Online will no longer be available.
Benefits of LOOP
• See your roster and view and book shifts and leave anytime, anywhere
• Optimised for smartphones
• Intuitive and simple to use
• Communicate and coordinate with colleagues in your team
• See important messages such as pay dates or roster downtime
• Transferrable between NHS Trusts
LOOP can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. There is also a web version for those who don’t have a smartphone. Full details on how to set up an account are available on the Trust intranet.
Long serving Nurse Directors retire
Three of our Nurse Directors, Jo Marsden, Emma Joel, and Gill Smith retire this August after careers spanning up to 40 years within the Trust. New appointments have therefore been made to the posts of:
• Nurse Director for Surgical ServicesRachel Bird
• Nurse Director for South Yorkshire Regional Services - Sheeba Jefferson
• Nurse Director for Combined Community and Acute - Shane Lawson
Jo has been Nurse Director for Surgical Services since 2018. She began her career in elderly care and then spent many years in a high-consequence infectious disease unit before becoming Deputy Nurse Director in Head & Neck. Throughout her time at the Trust, Joanne has achieved remarkable successes: she redesigned the staff flu vaccination programme, led Sheffield's COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign and
recently pioneered work on improving patient nutrition within the Trust.
Emma has been Nurse Director for South Yorkshire Regional Services since December 2021, and prior to that, Nurse Director for OSCCA from October 2017. She has implemented many transformative changes to patient care, including recent development of the QUEST (QUality and Excellence as STandard) programme which has had significant improvement on patient safety metrics. Emma also pioneered many
advancements in the modern surgical pathway landscape, including establishing a purpose-built day surgery unit, developing a central pre-assessment service for the Trust, and redesigning surgical pathways post-COVID.
Gill has been Nurse Director for the Combined Community and Acute Care Group since 2019 and has been a dedicated advocate for older adults throughout her career. She played a key role in establishing the NGH Frailty Unit, has championed falls reduction across the Trust and supported the implementation of significant improvements to Sheffield's stroke pathway.
Chief Nurse, Professor Chris Morley, said:
“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Jo, Emma, and Gill for their for their outstanding contributions in nursing and leadership which have made a significant impact on our organisation. I wish them all a very happy retirement.”
Rachel Bird Sheeba Jefferson Shane Lawson
Horatio's Garden brings RHS Chelsea garden to life at Spinal Injuries Centre
Horatio’s Garden, a charity that nurtures wellbeing after spinal injury, has started work on its garden at The Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre at the Northern General one year since it began its life as the Best in Show winning garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg, the garden puts the priorities of all those with different mobility needs at its heart. The garden will feature a series of bespoke designed elements inspired by the history, geography and industry of Sheffield, and will be a beautiful, accessible and therapeutic place for people with spinal injuries.
Gloves Off campaign improves infection prevention and cuts waste
We have joined the NHS Gloves Off campaign which aims to reduce the spread of infection between patients and cut the amount of waste produced by using unnecessary gloves when caring for non-infectious patients.
Professor Chris Morley, Chief Nurse, said: “It’s important that we don’t rely on gloves or use them when they are not required, as they can actually increase the risk of cross contamination and spread of infection. Clean, bare hands are usually better for our patients and reduce the skin irritation some colleagues may experience from the overuse of gloves. There are of course times when it is crucial that colleagues do wear gloves to prevent infection risk, but its key that we also remember when it is not needed.”
Posters will be put up in patient areas encouraging staff to explain when gloves are or are not appropriate to use.
Sheffield NHS Trusts tackle climate crisis together
We came together with other NHS Trusts in Sheffield to host a combined festival of sustainability in healthcare, featuring events across the city to get staff and service users involved in creating a greener future in Sheffield’s healthcare organisations.
The festival featured gardening and planting activities, litter picking, bike skills and maintenance sessions, guided walks and sessions on sustainability in clinical practice, mindfulness in nature, air pollution and waste management.
The NHS was the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero, in response to the profound and growing threat to health posed by the climate crisis. The festival provided opportunities for the staff and service users to learn from each other’s experiences to support this work.
We have already made lots of progress, such as introducing electric vehicles, offering staff free e-bike loans and planting hundreds of trees and plants at sites across the city.
Over the years we have seen some fantastic innovations and positive changes to our ways of working – brought to life by colleagues exploring their own ideas. You may remember initiatives such as My Idea Made a Difference, Give it a Go Week and more recently Dragons Den – all of which have led to real improvements for our patients and each other.
PROUD Improvement will continue to embed the ethos that anyone can be a change maker at our Trust by making improvement planning and activities business-as-usual and empowering colleagues at all levels to feel they can contribute to directly or indirectly improving patient care or services.
PROUD Improvement supports individuals,
leaders and teams to develop the skills, master the techniques and behaviours to enable them to make a difference.
We have published the second annual edition of our Change Makers showcase, which highlights a selection of the fantastic improvement work which is taking place across the whole of the organisation.
The breadth of work taking place is truly impressive, whether it be to improve patient care, enhance training opportunities for staff or adopt more sustainable practices. More than 50 stories are featured. Take a look – hopefully it inspires you to become a Change Maker yourself.
For more information on PROUD Improvement and to get started, visit the dedicated Proud Improvement intranet page.
Put your idea forward for our Dragons' Den Innovation Fund 2024
It's brilliant that so many colleagues across the Trust have got involved with PROUD Improvement and already taken the opportunity to go on a course or get together with their team to look at how we can make things even better for our patients and each other. We have now launched our second Dragons’ Den innovation fund which gives you the opportunity to bring your idea to life.
We are offering individuals and teams across the Trust, no matter what their level of responsibility, the opportunity to put forward an innovative idea or project. This year the
Dragons’ Den Innovation Fund is a joint venture between us and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.
Funding available
Exceptional/ large scale projects: Maximum funding of £50,000
Standard projects: Maximum funding of £25,000
What will be funded?
We will be looking to support projects which align with our Making a Difference strategy and PROUD Improvement, along with Sheffield Hospitals Charity Grant Making Priorities 2024-2027.
We will be focusing on ideas that:
• Support patient-centred experiences and quality of care
• Support caring, cared for staff
• Increase patient activity – including maximising our use of technology
• Reduce health inequalities
• Impact on sustainability
More information can be found on eligibility and the scope of funding on the Dragons’ Den intranet page.
How to apply?
Apply by completing the online google form on the intranet before the deadline: 20th September 2024, 11:59pm
Who is eligible to apply?
The Dragons’ Den is open to individuals and teams across the Trust, in all roles and at all levels of responsibility. If you have a good idea, that requires funding to make it a reality, we want to hear from you.
Campaign encouraging patients to bring in own medicines launched
A new initiative encouraging patients to bring their own medication when coming in for hospital stays has been launched in a bid to reduce medicine waste and get patients home quicker.
The scheme, one of 20 projects successfully funded through the Getting Back on Track Dragons’ Den Innovation Awards, aims to reduce the environmental impact of wasted and duplicated medicines, whilst also improving patient care.
Nationally, more than £9 billion was spent on issuing medicines in UK hospitals in 2022/23, with medicines waste across the NHS estimated to cost £300 million a year.
Patients coming in for hospital admissions will be asked to bring in all their regular medications. On admission, patients will be
asked to hand over these medications to their nurse, doctor or pharmacist who will then make sure the medication is suitable for use and labels/dosage are correct.
If the patient arrives by emergency ambulance, the paramedic will, wherever possible, assemble the patient’s drugs in a special green bag and bring this into hospital with the patient.
If the patient transfers to another ward during their hospital stay, the distinctive tamper-proof green bags will also be used to ensure their regular medicines are kept in one place and safely transferred with them. This will reduce missed or delayed doses of regular medications, ensure regular medicines are still prescribed, and speed up discharge by ensuring patients go home with current, in date medicines with correct dosage instructions.
Sheffield cancer prehabilitation service marks 1000 referrals
Active Together, a cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation service which helps people prepare for and recover from cancer treatment has surpassed 1000 referrals.
The pioneering service, which is funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and run in collaboration with the Trust and Sheffield Hallam University, has expanded to support to a range of tumour groups including gynaecological, lung
and colorectal cancers with plans to expand to some breast and prostate patients and offer support at sites in Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster over the coming year.
The service provides personalised nutritional, psychological and physical activity support to people following a cancer diagnosis. There is a growing body of evidence that being active before, during and after treatment
can reduce side effects and complications, improve the likelihood of survival and reduce the risk of recurrence.
Dr Carol Keen, Clinical Lead for the service said: “Our key achievement is the difference we make to our patients, supporting them to do well through their cancer treatment and recover afterwards to get back to the things that matter most to them.”
Sheffield Podiatry service steps up for 28th year of excellence in patient care
The podiatry service has once again earned the Customer Service Excellence Standard, becoming the only podiatry service in the UK to hold this Government-accredited mark for 28 consecutive years.
The service has been commended for providing outstanding foot and lower limb care to patients. The team specialise in wound care, management of diabetes-related foot complications, nail surgery, rheumatology, and pathologies that cause foot pain.
Run the Sheffield 10K for FREE with Sheffield Hospitals Charity
The Sheffield 10K is a major event in the city’s running calendar, and this year is taking place on 29th September.
Thousands took part in 2023 and it's guaranteed to be even bigger and better this year. You could be there as part of team SHC, raising funds to support Sheffield’s NHS. Sheffield Hospitals Charity are offering all NHS staff free entry to join.
If you’re interested, get in touch by emailing charity@shct.nhs.uk.
Weston Park Cancer Charity celebrates three years of their free transport service
The charity’s free transport service, which picks patients up from various locations across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, ensures people can get to any of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals sites to attend tests or receive vital cancer treatment, without the worry and stress of traffic, parking, and travel costs.
Over the past three years, the free transport service has:
• Helped more than 450 patients
• Made 2,315+ journeys
• Accumulated more than 8,100 volunteered hours
The latest information about the transport service, including a list of our pick-up locations and how to book a space on the transport service, can be found here: westonpark.org.uk/ transport-service.
For more information or to request printed leaflets for patients, please contact marketing@wpcancercharity.org.uk.
Charity Lottery
Did you know the charity has a weekly lottery?
You could win up to £1,000 every week by playing, and the money raised will help fund projects and vital ongoing initiatives like Arts in Health and Voluntary Services across Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT.
Scan the QR to find out more
Grant
applications
Staff can apply to the charity for funding, with opportunities across the year to make an application for grants which support our priorities.
Our overall aim is to improve patient outcomes through healthcare, provided by NHS staff who feel valued, by awarding grants which support one of our four funding priorities:
• Supporting patient centred experiences
• Supporting caring and cared for staff
• Reducing health inequalities in Sheffield
• Maximising technology, research and innovation
If you have a project idea that aligns with our funding priorities we would love to hear from you.
Little Wishes –Funding small changes with big impact
We allocate £50,000 each year, allowing staff to apply for funding to enhance patient care or support the health and wellbeing of colleagues.
For anyone interested in applying for a grant or for further information, please email the Sheffield Hospitals Charity grants team: grants@shct.nhs.uk.
‘I’m Proud To Be Autistic’
Staff nurse Jayne Connolly shared her story about being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder five years ago as part of Disability Pride Month.
Jayne recalls: “I was born in the era of the 70’s and 80’s when Autism wasn’t widely recognised. People just saw me as the introverted, nerdy girl, but I knew I felt different.”
The defining moment for Jayne came when she began experiencing perimenopause.
“The hormonal imbalance during this time can exacerbate symptoms, which was exactly my experience. Suddenly, things that had never bothered me before – like loud noises, large crowds, and being around other people – started to have a significant impact on me. That’s when it clicked, and my mum suggested that I might be autistic.”
Jayne was referred to Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service (SAANS) where they did an assessment and Jayne was subsequently diagnosed with ASD. After her diagnosis, Jayne informed her line manager and, with support from the Occupational Health team, she was able to make adjustments to her working schedule to better accommodate her needs.
“I was able to change my working hours so that I could primarily work night shifts, which are typically quieter and involve mainly just me and my patients. I really can’t praise everyone enough.”
Jayne also received information about autism support groups, including Autism Plus, who
provide specialist care and support for autistic adults and young people, and the Trust’s free staff health and wellbeing service called VIVUP which offers a 24-hour confidential support service offering advice and information from qualified professionals.
“I’ve worked on the same ward for nearly 25 years now with the same colleagues, who have been phenomenal. I have a lot of idiosyncrasies which people don’t always understand, so it can sometimes be difficult to explain that to people. Autism Plus have been brilliant and instrumental in helping me navigate work and education and in clarifying things that aren’t always easy to articulate. VIVUP has also been there when I needed it, providing free and accessible counselling support.”
“The learning I’ve done also led me to the Trust’s Disability and Wellbeing Staff Network Group (DAWN), which has been great. Meeting other people in the same boat and learning from them has been so positive, and I’ve been able to share this knowledge with my manager and colleagues.”
Jayne explains that this support has helped her to face recent challenges too, including an episode of ‘autism burnout’, which can be characterised by long- term exhaustion, loss of function, and heightened sensory sensitivity.
“It only takes one person to raise their voice or behave in a triggering way, and it can set you off. This can look like a temper tantrum and leave people around me confused, but it’s just sometimes hard for me to regulate my emotions. I experienced ‘autism burnout’ at the beginning of the year and was signed off work. It felt like I’d hit rock bottom but luckily, I have a supportive family, an amazing husband, and two fantastic children. It was quite a relief to finally be diagnosed. It explained why I’d felt different all my life.”
Trust is one of top 20 employers for
LGBTQ+ equality
We are now regarded as one of the best employers for commitment towards LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace, according to the 2024 Stonewall Top 100 employers.
The Trust was ranked 20th out of the 246 employers who entered – improving on our rank of 67th in 2023 and retaining the Gold Award for the third year running.
Kirsten Major, Chief Executive, said: “Our LGBTQ+ Staff network and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team have worked so hard to bring to life the commitments we as an organisation have made to ensure all 19,000 of our colleagues have a positive workplace experience and can be their true selves.”
Rachel Salmon, Senior Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, was also named as one of Stonewall’s 2024 ‘Changemakers’ for her individual efforts to support equality and inclusion in the workplace.
Rachel said: “I’m proud and humbled to have been chosen for an area of work that I am passionate about and want to make a difference in."
New video showcases Admin and Clerical careers
Admin and Clerical colleagues play a vital role in making sure patients get the healthcare they need throughout our hospitals and community services.
To coincide with National Administrative Professionals Day we launched a brand-new video showcasing the breadth and value of these roles across the Trust.
The video aims to help staff to better understand the many different roles and career paths available across admin and clerical, and the skills, training, and opportunities to help them develop in their career with us.
Watch the video on our YouTube channel
Can’t go to Specsavers? They’ll come to you
We caught up with Kejal Shah who has been an Optometrist with Specsavers Home Visits for 8 years. She explains to us how this much-needed service works.
So, tell me more about the Home Visits service…
Our at-home eye test is very similar to what you would have experienced in-store, just with a few adjustments and specialist equipment to make it home-friendly.
Optometrists, like myself, carry out the eye test, adjusting it to your individual needs. If glasses are needed, experienced colleagues will help with frame selection and then return to fit them. And, it goes without saying, all customers are supported with ongoing aftercare.
In response to demand, we’ve also now launched a new audiology home visits service. So far, we have home hearing services in 14 locations in the UK, with plans to expand this over the coming months. Who is able to benefit from a home eye test?
Put simply, it’s about bringing the service to your door, if you can’t get to one of our stores. So if you, a friend, or loved one, are unable to leave your home or care home unaccompanied, due to a physical or mental illness or disability, we can come to you.
There are a wide range of conditions and reasons why someone might not be able to leave their home. You can speak to us about your situation and we can help you understand if you or your loved one qualifies. What if someone is bedbound, or struggling with communication? Can you still help them?
The Home Visits service is designed to provide eyecare which is as individual as our customers are.
Some customers might be clinically vulnerable or they might be non-verbal or living with dementia. Depending on the situation, we might use pictures instead of letters for example. Even with a customer who is bedbound, we can change the position of the chart so we’re still getting completely accurate results. All the tests are adapted to fit the customer’s environment and comfort level. We can also speak to the customer or their loved one ahead of the visit, to address any questions or talk through the process.
Given that you provide such a personal and tailored service, does your care go beyond just an eye test?
Every colleague I know sees our services as something beyond just a job. Whether it’s sharing stories over a cuppa, popping something in the post for them, or passing them something out of reach, going that extra mile is such a rewarding part of our role. I only need to see a customer’s smile to know I’ve made a difference.
That’s a big part of what we do. Provide a personal service, tailored care and expertise, right to people’s homes, no matter what their situation – in homes, care homes or sheltered housing.
How do I find out whether someone is eligible?
You can head to our website at www.specsavers.co.uk/home-eye-tests which features a simple step-by-step guide to eligibility and a wealth of information. Alternatively, you can call 0800 0890144
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