Specsavers Dunedin’s Jennifer Robinson is the winner of the 2022 Dame Mary Perkins medal for patient care

New Zealand’s Specsavers practices in Hornby and Dunedin, plus Australia’s Dubbo and Dapto practices were celebrated at Specsavers Clinical Conference 2022, sharing awards for clinical excellence and patient care.

Doug Perkins medal for clinical excellence

This year’s Doug Perkins medal winners are Lachlan Martin and Hallie McCloy from Specsavers Hornby and Yvonne O’Sullivan, Brian Thio and Claire Curtin from Specsavers Dubbo.

Doug Perkins winners Hallie McCloy and Lachlan Martin, Specsavers Hornby

When presenting the awards, head of clinical performance Nick Gidas said the top 10 finalists represented the top 3% of practices in each country who had consistently demonstrated clinical excellence across all areas of practice.

“We were looking for practices that are leaders in delivering exceptional patient outcomes; that demonstrate a consistently outstanding patient experience; that implement and improve store processes that deliver consistent quality eyecare; who are committed to accessible eye health and who lead a positive workplace and culture. We were thrilled to be able to crown Specsavers Dubbo and Specsavers Hornby with the award this year,” said Gidas.

Dame Mary medal for patient care

The Dame Mary Perkins medals were judged by Justine Cain, CEO of Diabetes Australia, Ian Wishart, CEO of The Fred Hollows Foundation and Pippa Martin, general manager of Glaucoma New Zealand.

The awards were presented to two optometrists who stood out for going above and beyond in customer service, clinical care, clinical leadership or teamwork to benefit patient care: Jennifer Robinson from Specsavers Dunedin and Surendran Naidoo from Specsavers Dapto.

Specsavers Dunedin’s nomination involved a brain tumour detection and follow-up care for a young patient who required chemotherapy. It also described a day where award winner Jennifer Robinson saw an out‐of‐town farmer with a retinal detachment, requiring same-day surgery. The farmer had come to Dunedin alone and had nowhere to park his ute and trailer while receiving the unexpected treatment, which was causing him stress. Robinson gave him her staff parking space until he had been given clearance to drive home so he could focus on recovery after surgery rather than city parking.

“I’m very, very proud to be receiving the award. It’s heart-warming to be recognised for what we do day to day!” said Robinson.

Wishart said he was honoured to be on the judging panel for this year’s Dame Mary Perkins award for outstanding patient care. “All the nominees displayed incredible service for their patients and employed the values of Professor Fred Hollows. They embodied kindness, compassion and integrity in their everyday lives. In the words of Fred himself, they truly demonstrate that ‘every eye is an eye,’ and ensure all people receive the care they deserve.”

The prestigious Doug Perkins medal was introduced in 2018 and is presented annually to an Australian and a New Zealand store consistently demonstrating high standards of clinical excellence. The Dame Mary Perkins award, introduced in 2021, recognises an individual or group within a store in each country who delivered an exceptional act of patient care in the past 12 months.