Opticians bring festive spirit to home visit customers facing holiday isolation

The Specsavers Warrington Home Visits team brings eye and ear checks to people’s homes, visiting those across the North West who are unable to leave their homes due to physical illnesses, mental illnesses, or disabilities.

Over the festive period, staff at the Warrington service took along Christmas cards and a slice of cake to customers when making their visits, just to bring smiles and festive cheer to them.

Jonathan Fullalove, the customer service director at Specsavers Warrington Home Visits , said: ‘In December, we sent our staff out with 250 Christmas cake slabs and cards to give to our customers a nice little Christmas gift.

‘As part of our service, we visit private homes and care homes, so we had to get creative with the way to say thanks to our customers for their support over the year.

‘For the home visits, we chose customers at random to receive a slice of Christmas cake, while we donated whole nine-inch Christmas cakes for coffee mornings at care homes we visit.

‘Christmas can be a really isolating time, and I love giving out presents and brightening a person’s day. Even small gestures and showing your appreciation can make a difference, and we will always try our best to do that.’

Following one home visit, a customer’s next of kin contacted the Warrington team to thank them for their services.

Jonathan added: ‘A very teary-eyed next of kin called us up following a visit to her mum. Her mum was able to read with the magnifier we’d supplied for the first time in a while, she then saw our card and bag full of goodies.

‘She told me our gesture was amazing when the world is full of loneliness for people like her mum who can't get out, and that we have changed her quality of life. Most importantly, her mother liked our Christmas cake, too.’

The Specsavers Home Visits service gives customers everything they would experience in store but in the comfort of their own home. It allows optometrists to provide a bespoke service to each customer, which is tailored to their needs to give them the best possible treatment.

While based in Warrington, the Specsavers Home Visits service covers a large part of the local area, including Liverpool, Chester, the Wirral, Widnes, and St Helens.

For more information about Specsavers’ Home Visits, visit their website at https://www.specsavers.co.uk/home-visits/eligibility.