Specsavers ANZ introduces Dame Mary Perkins Medal

Specsavers has announced 10 Australian and three New Zealand finalists for its inaugural Dame Mary Perkins Medal for Outstanding Patient Care.

The award is named in the honour of the British co-founder who started the optical multinational with her husband Mr Doug Perkins in 1984.

This year is the first time Specsavers has introduced the Dame Mary Perkins Medal, which differs from the Doug Perkins Medal that was established in 2018 to recognise consistently high standards of clinical excellence and patient care for partners or individuals.

The Dame Mary Perkins Medal recognises exceptional acts of patient care in 2020/21 – going above and beyond in one or more of the following categories:

customer service;
clinical care;
clinical leadership;
or teamwork to benefit patient care.

The finalists also demonstrated a positive impact to a patient or their community and how it exemplified one or more of the Specsavers behaviours:

care for each other;
work as a team;
keep it simple, get it done;
always improve things;
treat money wisely;
do the right thing.

Unlike the Doug Perkins Medal, based on clinical and bench-marking data, the Dame Mary Perkins Medal considers nominations within the Specsavers network. Individuals, teams or stores are eligible, including retail and optometry team members and partners.

The Australian finalists: