Secretary of State for Business and Trade visits Specsavers

Jonathan Reynolds MP meets ear and eye experts supporting patients and the high street

Jonathan Reynolds, Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde has visited Specsavers Hyde to hear about how local eye and ear experts are delivering neighbourhood care – and supporting the high street.

Mr Reynolds, who is also Secretary of State for Business and Trade, chatted to the team at the locally owned and run optometry and audiology practice in Greater Manchester about how they are delivering NHS services and contributing to the economy.

‘It was a pleasure to visit Specsavers Hyde and learn more about how they are looking after the health of the local community,’ says Mr Reynolds. ‘Specsavers is also an important part of the British high street, supporting the economic health of the country, providing valuable jobs and careers in health care and retail.’

Nationally, Specsavers has more than 1,000 practices throughout the UK and is the leading provider of NHS primary care optometry services – testing more than 20 million eyes every year. It also provides more than 40% of NHS community audiology services in England, supporting more than 250,000 NHS audiology patients this year. Specsavers employs thousands of people across the UK.

Martin Booth, who is one of the partners at Specsavers Hyde, says that the team is proud to be part of the local community. ‘It was great to welcome Mr Reynolds to our practice, talking about how Specsavers is providing NHS eye and ear health care on the high street,’ he says.

‘We also talked about how community optometry and audiology is ready and able to do even more in delivering health services. At Specsavers Hyde, as well as eye tests we offer cataract pre- and post-op care.’

The practice and its sister practice in Denton employs 48 people in a range of roles, with Specsavers providing continuing professional development, to support people’s career development. ‘Specsavers is part of the community and we are passionate about providing good jobs locally, which all contributes to the economy,’ adds Mr Booth.

The importance of ear care services in the community was also discussed during the visit, says audiologist Jessica Smith who is a partner at Specsavers Hyde.

‘Hearing loss is one of the most common health conditions and the impact of hearing loss can be significant. Whether it’s wax removal, a hearing test or a hearing aid fitting that’s needed, we can ensure local residents can access the highest standard of audiology care close to home, without the need for unnecessary hospital appointments,’ she says.