Wales takes a major step forward in ensuring that people with sight loss receive health care information in an accessible format.
April 1 saw the Welsh Assembly Government publish its new HealthCare Standards for the NHS in Wales. Published within 'Doing Well, Doing Better: Standards for Health Services in Wales', these standards set out the quality requirements of the NHS in Wales as part of the WAG drive for continuous improvement in the quality and experience of services that citizens of Wales have a reasonable right to expect. These new standards will be effective from 1 April 2010.
For the first time, explicit standards relating to the experiences of people with sight loss have been included in the following standards:
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Citizen engagement and feedback
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Dignity and Respect
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Environment
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Medicines Manangement
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Communication.
Over the next couple of months, RNIB Cymru will be working with the NHS in Wales to refine them further and develop resource and information guidance for NHS staff.
This is a huge step forward for people with sight loss in Wales using the NHS. Access difficulties relating to information and communication for people with sight loss directly impact on the outcomes of care. This can lead to avoidable sight loss, for example through late presentation and failure to understand and comply with medicines.
The full standards can be accessed at
Doing Well, Doing Better: Standards for Health Service in Wales