Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Care and Support Bill, January 2013
Department of Health consultation on a draft Care and Support Bill (October 2012)
Department of Health consultation on standardised packaging for tobacco products (July 2012)
Department of Health consultation, 'Caring for our Future' (December 2011)
We welcome the Law Commission and Dilnot reports as serious and considered attempts to place adult social care on a sustainable footing. We urge the Government to reach a decision on the future of care funding because, without this leadership, we fear blind and partially sighted people will continue to experience a system which is unresponsive to their needs. We would firmly oppose DLA-style reforms, which look for savings from the Attendance Allowance budget to help plug a shortfall in state funding. RNIB is delighted with the Law Commission's recommendation on the registers for blind and partially sighted people. Making it a duty on local authorities to keep the registers is crucial.
Health Select Committee Inquiry on social care, October 2011
We welcome the Law Commission and Dilnot reports as serious and considered attempts to place adult social care on a sustainable footing. We urge the Government to reach a decision on the future of care funding because, without this leadership, we fear blind and partially sighted people will continue to experience a system which is unresponsive to their needs.
Public Health, June 2011
Health Select Committee Enquiry into Public Health
In our response to the Health Committee we welcomed the creation of Public Health England with a stronger role for Local Authorities in the provision of public health services.
However it was a good opportunity to criticise the fact that eye health is not mentioned as a major public health issue in the Public Health White Paper. We also urged the Health Select Committee to call on the Government to highlight eye health as an area of health inequalities in relevant forthcoming legislative proposals and to include eye health promotion in future Government funded health promotion initiatives.
Pricing of medicines, March 2011
PIN (Patients Involved in NICE) response to the Government consultation on 'a new value-based approached to the pricing of branded medicines', Department of Health
One of our main concerns about the move to value-based pricing is the intention to remove the current mandatory status from NICE technology guidance. While some decisions taken by NICE have been controversial there is general agreement that the mandatory nature of NICE guidance has helped address variations in access to treatment that affected many patients before NICE was set up. We are concerned that with these arrangements in place, the new system may lead to a greater postcode lottery for patients who are trying to access drugs.
An information Revolution in the NHS, January 2011
Liberating the NHS: An information revolution, Department of Health
RNIB calls on the Department of Health to address two major issues around the use of information in the NHS. Information provided to patients must be in a format of the patient's choice. This has to be a fundamental basis of any information revolution if it is to be inclusive. We're also highlight the need for the sharing of information between services so that joined up information and support can be provided at all times to blind and partially sighted people.
Greater choice and control in the NHS, January 2011
Liberating the NHS: Greater choice and control, Department of Health
Choice and control over NHS care and services is vitally important to blind and partially sighted people. However, increasing the number of options and opening up services in other areas must be couched within a widespread overhaul of existing services for blind and partially sighted people and the timely and appropriate commissioning of new services in areas where these are lacking. This must be achieved to ensure that people experiencing sight loss are able exercise true choice and control at their time of greatest need.
Local democracy in health, October 2010
Liberating the NHS: increasing democratic legitimacy in health, Department of Health
RNIB believes the Government's proposals for greater local participation in health provision are heading in the right direction. We called on Government to consider statutory obligations for health and social care services to move towards pooled budgets. We believe more can be done to make the care pathway from health to social care services a seamless experience. We welcome the role of HealthWatch organisations but seek clarification about their independence from local authorities. In our view it will be important for Overview and Scrutiny Committees to continue with their current functions so democratic oversight and accountability for the provision of health services is maintained.
Commissioning for patients, October 2010
Liberating the NHS: commissioning for patients, Department of Health
RNIB and Action for Blind People issued a joint response claiming the Government's plans have the potential to ensure that the population's eye health needs and the support needs of blind and partially sighted people are recognised and acted upon. However, we have some concerns about the move to GP commissioning and the impact on people at risk of, and living with sight loss. We believe GP consortia need to be multi-disciplinary, ensuring representation from a range of professions. Action for Blind People's survey of blind and partially sighted people reveals many are still unsure what the benefits of GP commissioning will be.
NHS outcomes framework, October 2010
Liberating the NHS: Transparency in outcomes - a framework for the NHS, Department of Health
RNIB and Action for Blind People issued a joint response calling on the Department of Health to prioritise preventing life-long illness and disability. The consultation document rightly seeks to transform outcomes in health care. We felt one obvious shortcoming was the reliance on reductions in mortality without concurrent plans to reduce morbidity. We would like to see quality standards specifically focused on eye care, for example age-related macular degeneration. To really deliver we believe the outcomes framework needs to say something meaningful about preventable sight loss and accessible information for blind and partially sighted patients.
White paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', October 2010
Department of Health consultation on its White Paper, "Liberating the NHS".
Together with Vision 2020 UK and other partners working under the banner of the UK Vision Strategy, RNIB responded to the Government's White Paper so we could help shape outcomes in relation to eye health and support for blind and partially sighted people. We broadly welcomed the move to an outcomes approach, measuring whether services achieve improvements in health. We also shared our concerns that a transition from PCT commissioning to GP-led commissioning could affect the provision of eye care services. RNIB was keen to stress that with NICE being given extra responsibilities, it is incumbent that it produces quality standards specifically on eye care care, for example age-related macular degeneration.
GP commissioning, October 2010
Commissioning, Health Select Committee
RNIB responded to the Health Select Committee to help influence the implementation of the policies outlined in government's White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS. We emphasised that more, not less needs to be spent on eye health promotion, detection and access to treatment.
Adult social care law review, July 2010
Adult Social Care, Law Commission
RNIB together with Guide Dogs for the Blind submitted a joint response to the Law Commission review of adult social care law. The Commission advises government on reform of public law and looks set to publish its recommendations ahead of a White Paper in spring 2011. We commented in detail on eligibility for care services, community care assessments, ordinary residence and also the topic of the registers for blind and partially sighted people. Organisations of blind and partially sighted people are concerned the Law Commission might seek to reduce local authorities' responsibilities in connection with registering people who are sight impaired or severely sight impaired.
Assessments of care services, April 2010.
Assessments of quality in 2010/11, Care Quality Commission
RNIB's verdict is that the Care Quality Commission did not address concerns that health and social care services systematically fail people at risk of, and living with sight loss. The inspectorate did set out an improved approach to the regulation of providers, focusing on the health and care outcomes services achieve. Unfortunately the Commission did not heed blind and partially sighted people's calls for a review of the whole "care pathway". Over 800 organisations and individuals called on the Commission to review whether health and care services were working effectively together to support people at risk of, and living with sight loss.
Direct payments for health , January 2010
Department of Health consultation on direct payments for health care: a consultation on proposals for regulations and guidance.
RNIB responded to the Department of Health's consultation on direct payments for healthcare. The consultation only considers the piloting of direct payments. No plans have been made to introduce them across the NHS, and this would not be possible without Parliament's consent. However, RNIB has a number of concerns about direct payments in healthcare, so we took this early opportunity to set out our position on their likely effects for blind and partially sighted people and people with a sight-threatening disease. Our main concerns are focused on the adequacy of budgets and the provision of information and advice so eligible patients can make informed choices about how to use a direct payment.
Shaping the future of care together, November 2009
RNIB's response to the Government's Green Paper
Together with four other sight loss organisations, RNIB sets out the issues affecting access to social care and support, as experienced by blind and partially sighted people. We discuss the barriers to access, the rationing system, the need for adequate funding and for a more far-reaching debate about where that funding might come from. We oppose the abolition of Attendance Allowance - and possibly other disability benefits - to plug funding gaps in the social care system.
Fair access to care services, October 2009
Our response to the Department of Health consultation on Fair access to care services guidance
RNIB responded to the Department of Health's consultation on revised guidance for Fair Access to Services in October 2009. Following previous submissions on eligibility criteria for care services we argued that assessments need to take full account of blind and partially sighted people's needs. We strongly support the move towards personalisation and personal budgets, but more fundamental issues have to be resolved first, including blind and partially sighted people's access to care services."
The future of social care, November 2008
A consultation on the future of the social care and support system in England
RNIB and Guide Dogs responded to this consultation in November 2008. We argued for a rights-based system, funded as far as possible through taxation; and that inadequate levels of support and difficulty in gaining access to the system should be addressed. We commented on various funding options and explored the issues raised by the Government's individualisation strategy for social care. We concluded that the needs of blind and partially sighted people should be fully reflected in the approach taken by the Green Paper, recognising the key position of sight loss issues in the context of demographic change.
NHS Constitution, October 2008
A consultation on the NHS Constitution (DoH)
RNIB responded to the Department of Health's consultation on the NHS Constitution. RNIB supported plans to codify patients' rights in a single document but blind and partially sighted people seek greater assurances on their rights to accessible information. On the specific recommendation that local decisions on funding of drugs and treatments need to be made "rationally", RNIB argues this needs clarification and that the right should cover patients' right to consideration of their individual circumstances.
Further information
For further information please email campaign@rnib.org.uk or telephone our campaign hotline on 020 7391 2123