The Outside Clinic |
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Tel: 01793 642200 |
Fax: 01793 648699 |
Website |
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Old Town Court, 10/14 High Street, Old
Town, Swindon SN1 3EP |
The Outside Clinic, a privately owned company based in Old
Town and led by its Managing Director Damian Kenning,
celebrates 20 years in serving the community as the largest
National provider of ‘At Home’ Eye Testing Services. Having
been originally formed in 1987 from a small team of a couple
of opticians who worked locally, it has now grown to an
organisation staffed by dedicated professional and support
personnel of 140. Half of the workforce is based at their
Head Office in Swindon and the other half are based all over
England, Scotland and Wales, visiting people in the
community who can no longer visit a High Street optician
without help or assistance.
All the optometrists are qualified and registered with the
General Optical Council but are also additionally CRB
(Criminal Records Bureau) enhanced disclosure and POVA
(Protection of Vulnerable Adults) checked. Clinical
governance protocol and continuing education and training of
all optometric personnel is a high priority when working for
The Outside Clinic and even the supporting staff are
encouraged to take a national qualification, externally
verified to ensure their skill set is kept up to date and
they offer the very best of patient care.
The Outside Clinic are also one of the founding members of
the Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians (FODO)
Domiciliary Eyecare Committee which was instrumental in
putting in place the Code of Practice for Domiciliary Eye
Care, which has been adopted by all organisations
representing the UK Optical Sector and contributed to by the
Department of Health.
The Outside Clinic is uniquely placed to educate and inform
national and local organisations and other healthcare
professionals about the importance of regular sight testing,
to ensure a better quality of life, by being able to make
the most of one of the most precious senses – sight! It can
also make a crucial difference in ensuring eye health
conditions and diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma and
age-related macular degeneration are caught early.
Referral for all types of ocular health issues are dealt
with through the patient’s GP, unless a local direct
referral pathway exists. Where the patient wishes to discuss
their onward care their Power of Attorney/Next of Kin are
encouraged to contact the in-house Optometric Advisor in
order to consult with all interested parties.
Following the sight test, The Outside Clinic can offer a
full dispensing service, with a choice of frames ranging
from completely free spectacles for those that qualify
through benefits, through Memory metal, Non allergenic
Stainless Steel and Titanium, Rimless, up to designer
labels, for those that want something a little more special.
A full range of lenses are offered, including all of the
modern high index and aspheric lenses, which help to make
the spectacles as light and as comfortable as possible. This
along with a range of Single Vision, Bifocal and Varifocal
Lenses from all of the leading brands such as Zeiss, Essilor
(Varilux), Nikon, Rodenstock and many others, ensures that
the patient is able to choose a product that will be right
for them. All spectacles are individually delivered and
fitted and are accompanied by a ‘no quibble' 12-month
guarantee of product and service.
The Outside Clinic believe their service is second to none
and they strive to implement ongoing improvements both for
their own staff and their patients.
They are often requested to participate in the National
Falls Awareness Events staged by Help The Aged and other
bodies. The latest figures indicate that approximately
89,500 falls requiring hospital treatment occur each year,
some directly as a result of visual impairment, which in
turn costs the NHS £269 million annually. Regular sight
testing could help prevent these frightening figures.
This year they have helped organise “Dignity and
Independence – Transforming Eye Care for Older People”,
which is a cross party conference hosted by the Eye health
Alliance in association with Help the Aged and the RNIB. It
will be held on Tuesday 26 June at the Apothecaries Hall,
Blackfriars, London, the keynote speaker being Ivan Lewis
MP, Minister for Care Services. Anne Snelgrove, Labour MP
for South Swindon who has visited the Outside Clinic has
also been invited to attend.
The Outside Clinic were delighted to welcome Anne when she
visited their Head Office to discuss with Damian Kenning how
the lack of awareness regarding a home eye testing service
was contributing to a recent finding that 4 million people
over 60 are currently not taking up their entitlement to a
free eye test.
The Outside Clinic were delighted to have been the sponsors
of the Optical Charity of the Year Award in partnership with
Reed Business Information Publications and Optician
Magazine. The worthy winners have been Gift of Sight in 2006
and 4 Sight in 2007, and the competition for the coveted
prize is being hotly contested for 2008.
Another charity that has captured some of the aims of The
Outside Clinic are Friends of the Elderly (www.fote.org.uk)
whose Patron is Her Majesty The Queen. Friends of the
Elderly have been helping older people since 1905, both at
home and in residential care, supporting them to remain
living an independent life. They have been chosen as The
Outside Clinic’s supported charity for 2007.
Approaches from charities and strategic partners who can
promote the importance of eye health care are welcomed by
The Outside Clinic and further information can be accessed
by visiting their website on www.outsideclinic.com, or by
telephoning for advice or appointments on 0800 85 44 77.
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