A NEW locally-owned-and-run home visit hearing care service has launched in Essex – and for one of the team, it’s personal experience that’s led her to become part of the business.
Specsavers Home Visits Audiology is based in Brentwood, but covers all the RM, SS and CM postcodes along with parts of CO and IG.
It carries out home visits to people across the county who cannot leave their place of residence unaccompanied due to a physical or mental illness or disability. This includes residential and care homes.
The team carries out hearing checks and hearing device fittings – and can also support customers with wax removal, all in their own homes.
For Customer Service Director Sophie Ward, the new business is a real labour of love.
27-year-old Sophie started her career as a 21-year-old apprentice in the optical lab at Specsavers Lakeside. After passing her course with a Distinction (scoring 100%) and spending a couple of years in that role, she became an optical assistant, and then started her audiology qualifications – first for wax removal, then for hearing device fitting.
She was then approached to take on her new role by Audiology Director Shakur Miah, who she had worked with before at Specsavers.
Born with hearing loss in both ears, Sophie has worn hearing devices since the age of four, and clearly remembers hearing bird song for the first time after having them fitted – and the difference that they immediately made to her life.
She says: ‘When I interviewed for this role, I made it very clear that if there was going to be a home visits audiology service covering Essex that I needed to be a part of it. My personal experience of having hearing loss means that I understand the things that hearing people don’t always, and it really helps me relate to our customers.
‘Additionally, I have experience of having a close relative who is bedbound, so I’ve seen firsthand the impact that difficulty accessing healthcare services can have on individuals and the wider family. I wanted to be part of something that would help to change that and I couldn’t be happier in my new role.’
Shukur has a diverse professional background in customer care, management and leadership, gained across local government, the civil service, and the retail sector.
Throughout his career, he has worked in customer-facing and operational roles that required high standards of service delivery, strong communication, and effective people management. He joined Specsavers three years ago while finishing his audiology degree, and became a director at the end of 2025.
Shakur says: ‘My ambition is to help build a clinically excellent, patient-centred audiology service that is sustainable over time. I am motivated by ownership, accountability, and collaboration. and long-term value for the organisation.
‘Becoming a Partner enabled me to align my clinical values with business decision-making, invest in people and innovation, and help shape a service that delivers consistently high standards of audiological care for patients.’
To contact the Specsavers Home Visits Audiology team for Essex, call 01245 204369, email[email protected], or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/home-visits/home-hearing-tests to find out more.
