Listening to the experiences of people living with sight loss
Beacon, a service that provides support for people living with sight loss, invited us to speak with people who use the service regarding their experiences of health and social care services.
Summary
People who live with sight loss often face additional barriers to accessing health and social care services. We spoke with 21 people in two focus groups to get a snapshot of the experiences of local people living with sight loss.
We heard how flexibility of services is needed to meet the needs of people with visual impairment and although the Accessible Information Standard is in place, it is often not met.
Key findings
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Lack of awareness and understanding from staff can cause traumatic experiences or even failed procedures.
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Getting a face to face appointment with a GP is more difficult since the pandemic.
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Beacon provides a range of support and a welcoming space for people living with sight loss.
Recommendations
- Services should provide all patient communication in the requested format.
- Ensure all patient-facing NHS staff receive disability awareness training to ensure they understand the needs of people living with sight loss.
- Recognise the benefit of booking longer appointments to discuss more than one issue for people who have additional barriers to attending multiple appointments.
Downloads
If you need the reports in a different format, please email hello@healthwatchdudley.co.uk or call 03000 111 001.
File download
Listening to the experiences of people living with sight loss.
Screen reader, large print: Listening to the experiences of people living with sight loss
Large print PDF: Listening to the experiences of people living with sight loss.
“I can’t thank Beacon enough for what they have done for me.”
