OutsideClinic unveils new lightweight kit bag for optometrists

OutsideClinic, the UK's largest and fastest growing home eye and hearing care provider, has launched a new lightweight kit bag for their optometrists, which promises to make their day-to-day work more efficient and comfortable.

As part of its mission to be the best place to work in optics and audiology, OutsideClinic has introduced this new bag following feedback from optometrists who found the bags too heavy and challenging to use.

The innovation was designed by OutsideClinic colleagues, Southwest Regional Manager, Dan Young and Senior Designer, Jon Richards, who wanted to improve the daily experience for optometrists. The new design features pre-cut slots for each piece of equipment, reducing the risk of damage during transit and making it easier to see if something has been left behind. Moreover, it has the company’s branding, helping promote OutsideClinic’s services.

It follows the integration into the brand Visioncall, the UK's leading provider of eye care to care homes, and the acquisition of the UK operations of bloom hearing specialists™ last year – boosting OutsideClinic's capacity and ability to deliver high-quality eye and hearing care in patients' homes, care homes and sheltered accommodation.

The new bag is already in use by 80 OutsideClinic optometrists and is expected to be rolled out completely by the end of spring coinciding with their recent Head Quarters office move  to a new premises within Swindon on the 11th April 2023. The new bags are significantly lighter than the previous ones, weighing in at 6.4kg, compared to the prior weight of over 10kg. The layout allows optometrists to streamline their testing processes while reducing physical strain and deterioration rate of the kit.

The development process for the new bag involved several prototypes before arriving at the final design, costing £40,000 and producing 85 bags. The new bag represents a significant improvement in weight, durability and branding, which has had an overwhelmingly positive response from optometrists.

Commenting on the new design OutsideClinic's Southwest Regional Manager, Dan Young, said: "By prioritising the end user, our optometrists, we ensured that the new case was functional and seamlessly integrated with the rest of our equipment. We are thrilled to introduce this new case to our team and confident that it will improve our operations and enhance the experience for our optometrists."

This new kit bag is a testament to OutsideClinic’s ongoing mission to provide clinically excellent optometry and audiology services in the comfort of their patients' homes. With access to the latest mobile technology, a supportive head office team and a focus on employee wellbeing, OutsideClinic is committed to ensuring that its colleagues have every opportunity to thrive while making a real difference to the lives of their patients.

This latest innovation is just one of many advancements OutsideClinic has made. It follows a recent rebrand and new website created to better represent the company and its ambition to help more customers than ever in 2023, building on a successful 2022 that saw its growing team of optometrists and audiologists deliver more than 200,000 clinics in various domiciliary environments.

While 460,000 eye tests were conducted in a domiciliary environment in 2020, making it the fastest-growing area of optometry, research indicates that 2.7m people in the UK would benefit from such care, with OutsideClinic on a mission to address this gap and ensure that everyone has access to the eye and hearing care they deserve.

To meet this growing demand, the company continues to recruit both optometrists and audiologists across the UK, most recently launching a Joint Venture Partnership Model to provide optometrists with an opportunity to build and run a fully supported domiciliary practice.

For more information on the roles available at OutsideClinic, visit careers.outsideclinic.co.uk/jobs.