Registers of Scotland, the Government department responsible for Scotland’s property and land registers, appointed Specsavers Corporate Eyecare in August 2008. The optical care provided comprises of eye examinations and spectacles, if required, for all 1,400 employees. Specsavers Corporate Eyecare has also become involved in Registers of Scotland’s ‘lifestyle’ days; where employee-benefit providers are invited to go into the organisation to communicate the benefits of their service and promote health and wellbeing for all employees.

Half way through the three-year contract, take up of the eyecare provision has been strong with employees giving very positive feedback regarding the range of products available and the various offers, such as the two-for-one deals that have been pioneered by Specsavers.

The ethical policy and recycling programme implemented by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare was a key aspect in them being awarded the contract. The ability to deliver a quality optical service, with an online appointment-booking service, coupled with the benefits of adopting a voucher scheme, has also reduced the administration burden for Registers of Scotland. In addition, data management reports, produced on a quarterly basis, highlighting service usage, have created transparency regarding the eyecare spend.

Dona McLafferty, corporate account manager for Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, says, ‘We are pleased to have reached this stage in our contract with Registers of Scotland with such positive feedback. We work with a great number of public sector companies and while the challenges are different to the private sector, we believe our success is down to the overall commitment we have to providing the highest quality eyecare service to all customers and clients alike.’

Specsavers Corporate Eyecare works with many public sector organisations to help them implement the most appropriate eyecare policy, and they find the stringent processes within the public sector result in a very close working relationship. This is advantageous when it comes to implementing problem-solving solutions and putting forward new ideas.

Cost is obviously a key aspect for any public sector organisation. The numbers of employees employed in this sector mean that an overspend will be hugely multiplied. For example, the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations require employers to provide all employees who use visual display units (VDUs), with eye tests, when requested, and glasses, if required. While this service can be provided for as little as £17 per employee, Specsavers Corporate Eyecare has discovered that poor procurement decisions are resulting in public sector organisations typically spending between £50 and £80 per employee, and some as much as £200. With virtually all jobs now entailing some use of VDUs, an organisation employing just 1,000 people, could be paying more than £21,000 over the odds.