We are excited to share that Manleen Kaur, Optometrist at Campbellfield, has been nominated for the prestigious Dame Mary Perkins Award whilst on the Pathway Program. Manleen begun Pathway at the start of 2023 as a part of our 36th Intake and has been focusing on store growth as a part of her pathway project. She has been an integral part of the Campbellfield team since they opened in December 2022 and prior to that was working at Specsavers Keysborough.
The Dame Mary Perkins Award for Outstanding Patient Care celebrates optometrists all over Australia & New Zealand who provide amazing acts of patient care each day. Manleen was nominated due to her quick thinking in a high-pressure situation in store with a very ill patient. The incident occurred in September 2021, where an ill patient came to see Manleen to get their intraocular pressure checked. The patient visibly worsened during their consultation with Manleen and she expressed her concern with their declining health. The patient was determined to drive themselves home and sleep off their illness, however Manleen insisted they call an ambulance and get the patient to hospital. Eventually the patient agreed to Manleen calling the ambulance and was taken to hospital where their condition deteriorated rapidly. Two weeks later Manleen received a note from the patient saying that her insisting that they go to the hospital saved their life.
Through this nomination we can see how Manleen demonstrated the Specsavers behaviours of being Compassionate and Courageous. She was compassionate towards the patients’ needs and demonstrated an extremely high level of patient care through her actions. Furthermore, Manleen was very courageous to challenge the status quo and push for the patient to go to the hospital when they were unsure if that was the best course of action. Her brave and bold decision making resulted in saving the patient’s life.
No act of care is too big or too small and Manleen has demonstrated that even something like following your instincts in a high-pressure situation can have an impact on people within our local communities. We encourage all optometrists to self-nominate their patient care stories, and peer and Partner nominations are also welcome. Click HERE to nominate an Optometrist for the Dame Mary Perkins Award.
