Look Local: Trust strikes a chord in Pinner practices

Quality not quantity

The owner-optometrist of Hatch End Eyecare, Parant Bhudia, whose average total dispense is about £375, says operating in a generally affluent catchment does not mean higher dispenses; it is the quality of care that really counts.

‘Affluent neighbourhoods have historically been associated with big dispenses,’ says Bhudia. ‘Every patient will spend within their means, but it is a duty of the practitioner to educate, rather than blindly upselling and dishing out second pairs.’

He says: ‘There is a broad split of NHS and private patients. Huge numbers of children from local schools visit us, along with retired patients who care about the preservation of their sight.