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Major survey calls for new ideas on how to reinvent post diagnostic support for blind and partially sighted people
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is launching a new research study to better understand post diagnostic support across the sight loss sector.
People who have experienced being diagnosed with a sight condition know it’s not always easy to get the right help.
A wide range of organisations including local councils, the NHS, charities, including The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), offer various forms of support, but overall it remains a postcode lottery with experience varying greatly in different parts of the UK. RNIB’s 2024 Out of Sight report found that 26 per cent of local authorities leave blind and partially sighted people waiting more than a year for a vision rehabilitation assessment.
RNIB is reaching out to professionals and partners right across the sight loss sector to gather new ideas about the way post diagnostic support can be more effective. This could include ideas for new services to build practical skills, new ways to access tech expertise and tools or offers of emotional support including peer to peer. The research will also engage people with lived experience of sight loss and their friends and family.
Insight from the online survey will shape post diagnostic support, so that people diagnosed with sight conditions get the support they need at the time they need it most and in a way that works for them.
The Charity needs people to take part who:
- Work directly with people with sight loss in the post-diagnostic space;
- Are stakeholders who are active or involved in post-diagnostic support or services;
- Have experienced sight loss, especially those who have recently been given a sight loss diagnosis;
- Are friends and family of the above group.
Caroline Beard, RNIB’s Head of Strategic Innovation, said: “Losing your sight can be a very traumatic experience; it can turn your world upside down and affect all aspects of your life. Unfortunately, the reality is that too many people are not getting the post diagnostic support they need when they need it most, with some people waiting up to a year for help. This is despite the fantastic work being done by many charities and under-resourced social services teams.
“Those responsible for providing vision rehabilitation are under huge pressure, as are Local Authority budgets. It’s time to look at how we can do things differently to help make the system work better for everyone.”
If you would like to take part in the survey, please use the link below: