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Judging the Optician Awards is always a tough job, but nowhere was this more true than when selecting the shortlist for the Outstanding Optometrist of the Year. Optician received an impressive number of entries, but more importantly the quality in the optometrist category was high and the entries thorough.
Clear winner
What gave McShaw the edge was his expertise across so many areas of practice and his interaction with hospitals, GPs and social workers. His entry was comprehensive, providing a clear description of his work and plenty of feedback from colleagues and clients.
'The clinical patient is first and at the centre of all activity. I do my very best for each and every patient who presents themselves to me regardless of their age, gender or abilities. It sounds trite but that is exactly what I do,' he says. 'I aim to make a long-term, working partnership with each and every person, where I give them the necessary information to enable them to make decisions about their eye care and lifestyle.'
He says he has also sought to harness technology to share findings with patients, colleagues and fellow professionals. 'I am fortunate too in having the complete and unwavering support from my wife in setting up the business that is clinically orientated - where we believe patients wish to pay for that clinical emphasis. Our teamwork has made this a formidable partnership.'
The Award win has certainly not gone to his head. His patient-centric ethos underpins everything he does as a professional and he does not place himself ahead of other optometrists.
'I don't think I am that different. All optometrists want the very best for their patients. Perhaps I am lucky that I have developed my own practice where I and my dedicated team determine the priorities.'
This includes having the right technology and spending the time necessary, sometimes up to an hour, with patients. This results in high and accurate referral rates and patient satisfaction.
'The domiciliary has provided me with a unique insight into the needs of the housebound and a wonderful opportunity to link with colleagues throughout the South West.'
Part of McShaw's inspiration may be explained by his route into the profession. 'My older brother was a glazing technician in Harare, Zimbabwe, and was studying to become a dispensing optician in the 1980s. He inspired me to become an optometrist. There were only eight optometrists in Zimbabwe at the time, with a population of nine million. The need was obvious and I could do something truly worthwhile with a significant impact.'
Unfortunately, the situation within the country deteriorated and McShaw settled here. 'My community and charity work here goes some way to helping good causes and I hope to continue to extend such work.'
The Awards night proved doubly significant for McShaw Optometrists. A party from the practice travelled to London and went home with two awards, an unexpected surprise.
'We had already gained the Software Practice of the Year Award and we were on cloud nine. Being shortlisted was a tremendous honour, having seen the eminent people who were also shortlisted I was confident that I would not win. When my name was announced as the winner I felt they had got the name wrong and was waiting for them to recognise their mistake. It wasn't until Soo, my wife, and the team members shouted "Go! It's getting embarrassing!" that I rose from my chair. By the time I got to the podium and had smiled at some familiar faces on the way, I realised I had achieved something I could never have personally visualised. I was so elated. I think the photos say it how it was. What a moment! I will never forget it. I still feel immensely proud and thrilled to have been acknowledged in this way.
Team celebration
'The train journey home was one of continued elation. We had taken champagne and a hamper full of goodies on the train to London. Never dreaming we would win, we had not brought champagne for the return journey. We all wished we had but nothing stopped our heightened mood.'
McShaw says he is glad to have taken the staff along both to recognise their contribution and to make them feel valued and closer as a team.
'I am so fortunate to work within a small independent practice within a community that values their eyes and those that provide that care. To be doing what I love most with a team I really respect. I am one of the luckiest men alive.'