Specsavers, in partnership with the Big Issue Group and Crisis, has reinforced its community commitment through promoting eye health among homeless people.
The multiple’s work with these charities was part of its broader ambition to break down the barriers that many people experiencing poverty and homelessness faced when receiving healthcare.
Jo Delbridge, director of public relations at Specsavers, told Optician: ‘Specsavers has always had a commitment to the community, as reflects the founding values of our organisation, and as part of our sustainability ambitions we are keen to improve accessibility for all people.
‘This includes some people who can’t access NHS services due to the circumstances they find themselves in. We are working with a number of partners to help improve accessibility and inclusivity.’
Creating access
Delbridge added many people at Specsavers already supported these charities by volunteering, which the multiple said it actively encouraged.
Specsavers said access to vital services, such as eye care, was prohibitive for people who experience homelessness because they do not have a permanent address. This could make a huge difference to the future prospects of vulnerable people. They also have a higher prevalence of eye conditions that, if left untreated, could lead to permanent sight loss, Specsavers added.
‘We are also working with them to better understand what their needs are and the barriers they face in accessing eye care, so we can work with them to help overcome these,’ Delbridge said. Specsavers provided training to ensure eye care professionals were prepared to have sensitive communication when providing services to vulnerable people. ‘Working with our partners, including Crisis and Vision Care for Homeless People, we have developed a learning module that all our colleagues have access to,’ Delbridge added.
Christmas services
Frontline managers at the Big Issue Group have been briefed, as well as office-based teams, to make existing and new vendors aware of their eligibility for a £64 Specsavers gift card.
Vendors can spend the voucher on a sight test, including optical coherence tomography, and eyewear, as well as receive free ear wax removal.
‘They are focusing on getting to the most in-need vendors first and are also tracking how many have been deployed,’ Delbridge said.
In addition to giving free eye tests and glasses to Big Issue vendors, Specsavers has become the exclusive sponsor of Big Issue tabards.
Specsavers was also the first corporate sponsor of the Crisis at Christmas campaign and will support the charity as it provides its Christmas services.
‘We are also working with Crisis to run additional regional eye care clinics this Christmas, which we hope to become more regular, and are supporting Vision Care for Homeless People to help them open new clinics to extend their reach,’ Delbridge said.
Crisis will provide accommodation, companionship and support, while helping with housing, employment and benefits to people facing homelessness.
Specsavers would provide support by helping Crisis expand its range of health and wellbeing services at its Skylight centres across the UK.
Eye care clinics in five of Crisis’ centres this Christmas will offer free eye tests and provide free glasses to people in need. Over the next year, Crisis and Specsavers will work together to further expand eye care services for people experiencing homelessness across the country.
Valued support
Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis, said: ‘Experiencing homelessness has an extremely negative impact on people’s health. But sadly, we regularly see many people suffering and finding it difficult to access health services because they fear stigma or are not easily able to register due to not having permanent addresses. So, we’re delighted to partner with Specsavers, which will allow people we help to receive quality eye care in our Christmas centres.
‘With rising costs continuing to impact people’s ability to pay bills and rent, we fear that the numbers of people facing homelessness will grow over the difficult months ahead. This is why the need for our Christmas and year-round services has never been more important and why we need as many people as possible to stand with us. The valued support from Specsavers and its staff will help us continue to help people who desperately need it this Christmas and beyond.’
Specsavers added that its purpose was to change lives through better sight and it could not ignore how people experiencing homelessness needed spectacles but struggled to access eye care.