Covid-19 sees Cambuslang eye care firm Visioncall undertake major restructure

A Scottish eye care specialist is focusing on UK growth after consolidating its operations and reducing its headcount.

Michelle Le Prevost, managing director of Cambuslang-based Visioncall and former Black & Lizars MD. Picture: Stewart Attwood

The restructuring has seen Visioncall bring together its managerial, administrative, bookings and HR roles at its Cambuslang base. The head office will sit at the centre of a hub operation with lead optometrists and dispensing opticians focusing on the delivery and standard of care.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the business had a team of about 260 staff, but now has 60 core employed staff and an “associate bank” of 100 field-based clinicians.

Three new regional lead optometrist roles and three lead dispensing optician positions have been created to provide broader coverage south of the Border.

Visioncall has been delivering eye care to the UK care home sector since 1994. Its services include home sight tests, optical dispensing and dementia-friendly eye exams.

Michelle Le Prevost, the firm’s managing director and former Black & Lizars MD, said: “Covid-19 has had an immeasurable impact on businesses across the country and around the world, and few have been as hard as our partners and patients in the care home sector.

“It became clear very quickly that we would have to adapt our operations significantly to be able to continue our person-focused eye care, which – while difficult – gave us the capacity to look at our broader business operations and adapt for the future.

“Our clinical teams are the experts in the fields and specialise in the looking after our elderly and vulnerable patients, including those with dementia and communication issues.

“The new operating model also allows us to be more flexible to changing markets. Care homes remain our central and core audience although as the way we each live our lives is changed, perhaps irrevocably, by Covid-19, there are opportunities to expand and innovate with new routes to market for eye health businesses like ours.

“The future of the care home sector and the wider economy is uncertain, but by taking these brave steps now, we’re securing the future of our business and protecting our patients’ eye care and the improvements in quality of life that accompany clear vision.”

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