Specsavers made its official arrival in the domiciliary sector this week with the full launch of Specsavers Healthcall.
The multiple said it was to make its joint venture partnership model a central part of the new business.
Following the purchase of Healthcall Optical Services for an undisclosed fee (News 02.08.13) Specsavers has spent the past three months developing the business.
An announcement this week said Specsavers Healthcall would dispatch mobile optometrists and dispensing opticians with portable eye testing kits and a range of 180 glasses to housebound patients. Services were to include NHS eye examinations, dispensing of glasses and aftercare.
Specsavers director of professional services, Paul Carroll, said: ‘As the UK population ages, it’s inevitable that the need for domiciliary eye care will increase. At Specsavers we recognise that an increasing number of our customers can no longer access our stores on the high street so we want to make sure Specsavers’ services are still available to them in their own homes.’ He said domiciliary services played an essential role in eye care, as well as maintaining independence and reducing the incidence of accidents such as falls.
Specsavers Healthcall’s first domiciliary joint ventures were to launch this month, in addition to the 180 existing Healthcall staff.
Carroll added: ‘Partnership has been at the very heart of Specsavers since it was founded in 1984 and is one of the key ingredients in our success. We plan to grow the existing domiciliary business significantly and as part of this we have introduced our unique joint venture partnership structure. Our vision is that ultimately domiciliary joint venture partners will be at the heart of our domiciliary service, providing high quality domiciliary care in their territory with the backing of first-class business support services.’
