Steve Clark – the face of a national recruitment campaign

Leeds local and optometrist, Steve Clark, is fronting a new video recruitment campaign to encourage eye professionals to move from the high street and into domiciliary care, to help older people receive the eye treatment they need.

Steve works for OutsideClinic, leaders in home eye care and hearing services. The video (watch it here) covers a typical day in Steve’s working life, where most of his patients are people over the age of 65, who are at risk of conditions like macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma. The over 65s make up over 15% of Leeds’ population, an age group which is forecast to increase to almost a quarter of the population of the UK by 2038. It is no surprise, therefore, that demand for OutsideClinic’s services amongst the over 65’s market has increased by 50%, as older people who require specialist care struggle to get to the high street.

OutsideClinic’s 300 strong team will be increased by 75, including 48 optometrists and 12 audiologists.

Steve: “I’m so flattered to have been selected to feature in this national campaign to attract more optometrists to consider a career in domiciliary and hope that my fellow eye care professionals here in Leeds will watch the video and give it some consideration.  I became an optometrist to make a difference to people’s lives and have found that working in domiciliary enables me to do that in a way that a regular high street optician job didn’t. The people we see are so grateful for our support and our technology is now as good as any high street opticians’. It’s a privilege to see people in their homes and doing so gives me insight into how everyday things like lighting and positioning of furniture contributes to how well they can see, so I can make even more of a difference.

I can also work flexibly, enabling me to spend more time with my family and on hobbies such as hockey, which I’ve always loved. I used to play for Scotland and am glad that I can still train and play matches around my job. I wholeheartedly recommend the role and know, with the UK’s ageing population, that we need more people to join us if we are to enable people to maintain a good quality of life as they age, as eyesight is just so crucial to that.”

OutsideClinic’s hearing services are also rapidly growing, so the boost to the team of 30 of a further 12 audiologists across the UK will help to meet the increased demand, as will an increase in the company’s support teams.

Managing Director, Richard Gibson, said:

“Demand for our industry-leading services has never been greater, with our talented team delivering clinically excellent eye care and hearing services in the homes of the hundreds of thousands of people who most need us. With the over-65 population set to grow significantly, we anticipate demand for our domiciliary services will increase substantially in the coming years and it’s vital we’re able to meet this demand while continuing to deliver the gold standard eye and hearing care that our patients have come to expect from us.

The next 12 months will see us strengthen every area of our team, with a particular focus on growing our optometry team as part of our mission to ensure that excellent eye care is available to everyone from the comfort of their own home. We promise industry-leading technology, unrivalled flexibility and the time and support needed to provide a service that makes a genuine difference to people’s lives. We’re excited about our next chapter and we have new roles right across the country, including in the Leeds area, and so would love to hear from any eye care professionals in the area.”

To learn more about the new roles available, visit outsideclinic.co.uk/careers.

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