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cole martin tregaskis optometrists Incorporating: R
Hutchings Optometrists P Ringe
Optometrists |
Contents
IMPORTANT INFORMATION – COVID-19
COVID-19 precautions
In response to the outbreak of the
coronavirus, COVID-19, the practice continues to follow Government and
professional guidelines. Although COVID-19 is still with us, many restrictions
have now been relaxed. This page will always have our latest information.
· 
Because we are providing
healthcare and many of our patients are vulnerable, we still ask patients to
wear a face covering in the consulting room if possible. Please feel free to
continue to wear a mask in reception if you wish.
· Sanitiser is always available by
the reception desk and in the consulting room.
· Of course, please do not attend
if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19. For most people, the symptoms of COVID-19
are now very similar to those of a cold, so if you have cold-like symptoms
please do not attend the practice.
·
Our optometrists continue
to wear masks, as they work in close proximity to patients. They also continue
to adhere to strict guidelines to ensure the practice remains clean, such as
disinfecting the consulting rooms after every patient.
·
It is no longer
necessary to book an appointment to see our dispensing team. However, if they
have patients waiting, they may ask you to return at another time to avoid the
reception area becoming too crowded.
·
Our dispensing team
continues to wear masks if they need to come close to patients, for example
when adjusting frames on the face.
- We disinfect equipment and frames after
contact with patients, and sanitise all common areas throughout the day,
particularly focusing on touch points such as door handles, credit card
machines and our iPad, where patients sign for their NHS examination.
·
The protective
screens are still on our reception desk. Protective screens can be put up on
dispensing desks if a patient requests this.
- During the pandemic, we saw an increased number of patients who had been referred to us by other optometrists, GPs and hospital eye clinics, and this is still the case. If you are one of these patients, please tell the reception when you contact us.
·
It has always been
recommended to obtain spectacles from the practice that carries out the eye
examination. At the present time, this is especially important to avoid
visiting two establishments. Nearly all our patients obtain their spectacles at
our practice. In the unlikely event that you would like to purchase spectacles
elsewhere, you should attend that practice for your eye examination.
·
We have
state-of-the-art scanning equipment (OCT) which provides a superior view of
structures at the back of the eye and can shorten the amount of time we need to
spend working in very close proximity to the patient. For those patients who
can cope with the stairs, we recommend OCT scans as standard at the present
time and the fees and charges for this are explained on the Eyecare page of this website.
·
We continue to
prefer credit or debit card payments, but if this is difficult for you please
let us know.
Other recent news
Outstanding new optometrist joins the team
Ms Hinal Amin joined the team in
June 2022 and is proving popular with patients, for her excellent clinical
skills. Read more about Hinal, and other staff news, in our page on The Team.
New directors – same
direction
In May 2022, Professor Bruce
Evans stood down as director, with Dr Claire O’Leary and Mrs Anita Shah taking
over leadership of the practice. Claire and Anita joined Bruce as shareholders
and co-directors of Cole Martin Tregaskis Ltd in May 2019. Bruce said “I am
delighted that Anita and Claire have shown such commitment to the long-term
future of the practice. I have worked with Claire at the practice for over 20
years and she is well-known to patients for her expertise on dry eye. Anita
joined the team over 10 years ago, and her higher qualifications in glaucoma
and therapeutics are helping us raise our clinical services to an ever-higher
level. Bruce continues to work at the practice one day a week and is enjoying his
new-found freedom with more time working on research, consultancy, writing…and
sailing!
Introduction to Cole Martin Tregaskis Optometrists
We are an independent optometric practice devoted to the highest standards of eyecare and to quality eyewear. We provide routine eye examinations and a wide range of designer and non-designer spectacle frames. We also supply a very large range of spectacle lenses, specialising in high index (thin) lenses and varifocal spectacles. We are a Varilux Gold Specialist Centre and are an Approved Seiko Specialist.
We also provide several specialist
investigations and treatments including: all types of contact lenses, dry eye
treatment, special visual investigations relating to dyslexia, migraine, and
epilepsy, orthoptics and eye exercises, and second opinions. We see patients of
all ages, from one week after birth to over 100 years old. The practice has
wheelchair access and eye examination and spectacle dispensing facilities
downstairs.
We are one of the
largest independent optometric practices in the area, with a list of over
36,000 patients and a team of four optometrists, four dispensers, and nine
support staff. However, we are strongly committed to maintaining personal care
for our patients. We always try to arrange patients’ appointments with the same
optometrist, so that a continuing relationship can be established between
patient and practitioner. Altogether, our staff have over 100 years of combined
experience at providing eyecare to the public.
Our independent status means that we can order spectacle frames, lenses, and contact lenses from virtually any supplier. Indeed, we have accounts with well over 50 suppliers. This gives us freedom to order the best optical products for our patients.
History
The
practice was founded in 1947 by Philip Cole. Dr Cole (OBE) was a well-known
figure in the optometric profession and was founding President of the British
College of Optometrists.
Dr Cole was joined by Mr Tony Martin and Mr Tony Tregaskis, who both worked at the practice for more than 20 years. Professor Bruce Evans joined the practice in 1988 and took over the helm in 1996. Sadly, Tony Martin passed away in 1995 and Tony Tregaskis retired in 1998. Professor Evans, Dr O’Leary, and Mrs Shah decided to keep the name, Cole Martin Tregaskis Optometrists, to signify a commitment to continue the high standards set by the three practitioners who had done so much to build a reputation for excellence.
In 1998 the practice moved to more spacious premises at 23 Shenfield Road, the main road joining Shenfield and Brentwood. Also in 1998, two other local independent optometrists retired, Mr Peter Ringe and Mr Richard Hutchings. These practitioners invited us to continue to care for their patients. In 2004 the reception and dispensing areas were refurbished to increase the capacity for spectacle frames. We now have about 1,000 frames, most of which are on display and including many designer makes. Anyone is very welcome to come in at any time and browse. For more information about our spectacles and dispensing services please click on Spectacles. In 2014 the practice was refurbished to improve sound insulation and improve our environmental footprint. In 2019 Mrs Anita Shah and Dr Claire O’Leary joined Professor Bruce Evans as shareholders and co-directors of the company. In 2022, Bruce Evans stood down as director and shareholder and the practice is now led by Anita and Claire. The latest information about the practice can be found on our Practice Newsletter, which can be accessed by clicking on Practice Newsletter.
Opening Hours
Monday 9:00 to 5:00
Tuesday 9:00 to 5:00
Wednesday 9:00 to 5:00
Thursday 9:00 to 7:00
Friday 9:00 to 5:00
Saturday 9:00 to 4:00
Contact Information
E-mail
address
Web address
Phone
01277 211164
Fax
01277 213312
Address
23 Shenfield Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 8AG
Car parking
There are public car parks a short walk away in the town centre. There is also parking available nearby in Sawyers Hall Lane, although there is considerable demand for these spaces especially at the beginning and end of the school day.
There is limited parking at the front of the practice reserved for disabled patients, although it is not possible to guarantee these spaces will be available. We ask patients to only use these spaces if they are unable to walk far.
How to find us
By rail
We are a 10 minute
taxi ride from either Shenfield Station or Brentwood Station. Both are on the
direct line from Liverpool Street Station in London. Although Shenfield is
furthest, there are fast trains that make their first or second stop at
Shenfield.
Directions from the M25
- exit at Junction 28 taking A1023 to Brentwood
- the practice is on
the left exactly 0.1 miles after the second of these mini roundabouts
To download a map, click here: Map to Cole Martin Tregaskis Optometrists
Information on car parking is provided above.
Complaints
We take great pride in the standard of service we offer and most patients are so pleased with our service that they recommend us to their friends. But in the unlikely event that our care or products fall below the standards you expect then please write to the Practice Manager, Mrs Lesley Barnett.
Privacy notice
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and take matters of personal privacy very seriously. In our capacity as health care providers, we store and process personal data (e.g., name, date of birth, contact details). The clinical data we store is contained in a state-of-the-art computer database from leading supplier which is encrypted and GDPR compliant.
We will contact you about eyecare matters, most commonly when you are due or overdue for an eye examination. If you would prefer that we do not contact you in this way, then please tell reception. We will not contact you for marketing reasons.
In accordance with professional guidelines, we keep patient records for at least 10 years after you were last seen, longer for children. We keep this information for clinical and clinico-legal reasons.
If a third party contacts us asking for information about you we will not provide this unless you have specifically requested in writing for us to do so. The practice believes in the importance of research and education. We sometimes allow researchers or educators to access anonymous practice data for purposes of research or education. We stress that no data is taken from the practice for these purposes unless it has been fully anonymised. We take care to follow the advice of the Information Commissioner’s Office on data anonymisation and to avoid providing any information that could allow re-identification. This involves removing or masking personal details (name, address, telephone number, e-mail addresses). Such anonymised data will not be made publicly available but will only be provided to specific individuals for the uses detailed above. If you would like to opt out of this use of anonymised data please write or e-mail the Practice Manager, who is the Data Protection Officer (DPO).
Further information on information governance at this practice is available in our IGT leaflet. If you have any concerns or a complaint about how we store or process your personal data, then please contact the Practice Manager (DPO). If you are not content with the way a complaint has been resolved please contact one of the Directors, listed below. If you would like to escalate a complaint further, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (www.ico.org.uk).
Legal information
On 1st May 2010 Cole Martin Tregaskis Optometrists became incorporated as Cole Martin Tregaskis Ltd (Registered in England, Company No. 7214391; Registered Office: Summit House, 13 High Street, London, E11 2AA). The company directors are Mrs Anita Shah and Dr Claire O’Leary.
The practice is registered with the General Optical Council (CO-3814).