Many blind and partially sighted people are being denied support, charity says

Charities say thousands of blind and partially sighted people are being deprived of their right to support after losing their sight.

A new report from blindness charity RNIB suggests that people at all stages of vision loss are being let down by forgotten, under-resourced social care services and patchwork care provision.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to local authorities in the UK show that people who have lost their sight are being denied the right to rehabilitation services.

The data shows that around 86% of local authorities are failing to meet the 28-day deadline recommended by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate post-blindness needs.

Vivian Francis, RNIB’s chief social change officer, said: “By law, support must be provided through specialist vision services run by local authorities or contracted out to third parties, but our FOI “The service is completely unregulated and has a patchwork of regulations in place,” the report said. It is important to ensure that people who have lost their sight are not left behind. ”

In more than a quarter (26%) of local authorities, blind and partially sighted people are waiting more than a year for a vision restoration assessment and subsequent support, according to the report ‘Out of sight: sight restoration services across England’. This was revealed in a report titled “The Hidden Scandal”. .

The RNIB said such delays put people with vision loss at increased risk of physical accidents and injuries, as well as mental health crises.

Vision rehabilitation provides people with new ways to maintain their independence and go shopping each week or enjoy their favorite hobbies.

The charity suggested delays were going unnoticed because these services were not monitored by care regulators such as the CQC and were the only adult social care services to be specifically assessed. are doing.

Ms Francis added: “We know that local authorities in England are struggling to cope with the growing demand for vision care services and to deliver them effectively.

“But poor services mean thousands of blind and partially sighted people are left waiting more than 12 months without receiving the support they deserve to live their lives to the fullest. It often happens.

“This hidden inequity in social care needs to be remedied. We call on all political parties in the UK to ensure that visually impaired people have the emotional and practical support they need, when they need it. We are asking that you make it available to everyone.”

Terry Quinn, 59, from West Yorkshire, who suffers from diabetic retinopathy and was registered as severely visually impaired in 2019, has since become a “shell” of his former self and feels despair. He said he noticed that.

Mr Quinn added: “I didn’t get much help or guidance from the hospital. Yes, the hospital said I would have to fill out a CVI form (Certificate of Visual Impairment) and that someone from the local authority would contact me, but in reality… There was no contact.

“I have never felt so alone in my life.

“It was through regular appointments with a wonderful woman at the local low vision clinic. He asked me if I had talked to anyone.

“I said, ‘Not at all.’ She called me a few times and within a day or two I got a call from a vision rehabilitation specialist. I cried a lot on the phone with him,” she said. And he arranged to come to my house to meet me.”

Quinn said a specialist visited her three times over the course of several months to provide information, help her obtain travel passes and benefits, and teach her how to get up and down stairs using a white cane at home. said. .

She added that she was taken outside once and shown how to find the curb, but that was literally all there was to it.

Quinn said: “I couldn’t go on any longer and I went to bed at night praying that I wouldn’t wake up in the morning.

“But unfortunately I woke up and had to suffer for another day.

“And as a last resort, after thinking about it for several weeks, I plucked up the courage to call Guide Dogs for the Blind.”

Quinn said getting a guide dog, which she loves, has been “life-changing” and has given her independence and the ability to travel again.

Councilor Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Social Services Spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Adult social services have faced chronic underfunding for many years, but councils are using the resources they have to support local communities. I’m doing my best for.

“This report shows the impact of not having enough funding, staffing or support to provide the services people need to live the lives they want and desire.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Local authorities are responsible for assessing the care needs of people with vision loss and commissioning services to support those in need of rehabilitation.”

“We welcomed the publication of the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s Eye Care Support Pathways, which highlights the need for wider support for people who have lost their sight.

“NHS England has contributed to its development and has offered to support its rollout to eye commissioners and healthcare providers.”